Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 News
    
        Photos

    Week in Photos

    Air Force TV

    Commentaries

    Features

    Art

    About Us
    
        Air Force Senior Leaders
    
        SECAF

    CSAF

    CMSAF

    Biographies

    Fact Sheets

    SECAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library
    
        CSAF Leadership Library 2022

    CSAF Leadership Library 2021

    CSAF Reading List Pre-2020 Archive
    
        2018 CSAF Reading List

    2017 CSAF Reading List

    2016 CSAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library 2023

    CMSAF Leadership Library

    50 Years of the CMSAF

    Adjunct Professors

    Air Force Strategic Documents

    Arctic Strategy

    Empowered Airmen

    State Licensure Portability

    Careers

    AF Federal Advisory Committees

    AF 75th Anniversary

    Policy Updates

    AF Content Management

    Contact Us

    AF Sites
    
        Site RegistrationU.S. Air Force LogoAir Force

        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      A GR7000 parachute along with dummy descends over a drop zone near Edwards Air Force Base. A team from the 418th Flight Test Squadron conducted several drops using the parachute, which has been proposed as a replacement for the current C-9 canopy used in the ACES II ejection seat. (U.S. Air Force image provided by Brad White)Test team looks at new parachute for ACES II ejection seat
                        
                        
                        A GR7000 parachute along with dummy descends over a drop zone near Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. A team from the 418th Flight Test Squadron conducted several drops using the parachute, which has been proposed as a replacement for the current C-9 canopy used in the ACES II ejection seat. (U.S. Air Force photo/Brad White)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res
        


        A dummy attached to a GR7000 parachute is recovered following a test drop at the ROWE drop zone south of Edwards Air Force Base. Members of the 418th Flight Test Squadron are testing a new parachute canopy for the Advanced Concept Ejection Seat II, or ACES II. (U.S. Air Force photo by Ethan Wagner)Test team looks at new parachute for ACES II ejection seat
                        
                        
                        A dummy attached to a GR7000 parachute is recovered following a test drop at the Rowe drop zone south of Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. Members of the 418th Flight Test Squadron are testing a new parachute canopy for the Advanced Concept Ejection Seat II. (U.S. Air Force photo/Ethan Wagner)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res
        


        Members of the 418th Flight Test Squadron recover a crosswind deployment cylindrical test vehicle, which was used to test a GR7000 parachute last month. Dummies and live personnel were also used to test the parachute, which is proposed as a replacement for the current C-9 canopy currently used on ACES II ejection seats. (U.S. Air Force photo by Ethan Wagner)Test team looks at new parachute for ACES II ejection seat
                        
                        
                        Members of the 418th Flight Test Squadron recover a crosswind deployment cylindrical test vehicle, which was used to test a GR7000 parachute last month. Dummies and live personnel were also used to test the parachute, which is proposed as a replacement for the current C-9 canopy currently used on Advanced Concept Ejection Seat II ejection seats. (U.S. Air Force photo/Ethan Wagner)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res

Test team looks at new parachute for ACES II ejection seatPublished June 27, 2017
                    
                    By Kenji Thuloweit
                    
                    
                    412th Test Wing Public Affairs
            **EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --**Members of the 418th Flight Test Squadron are testing a new parachute canopy for the Advanced Concept Ejection Seat II. Testers are collecting data on the GR7000 parachute, which has been proposed to replace the current C-9 canopy used in the ACES II ejection seat. The testing is part of the Air Force’s ACES II Safety and Sustainability Improvement Program.
The ACES II ejection seat system has been used for almost 40 years and brought standardization to Air Force ejection seats  in the A-10, F-15, F-16, F-22, B-1 and B-2. The standardization reduced cost and training time as maintainers and pilots only have to train on  one type of  seat.
“The overall test objective is to demonstrate the strength of the GR7000 parachute at worst-case ejection (situations), high-altitude mode 1 deployment and evaluate the steady-state descent characteristics of the GR7000 parachute,” said Alice White, 418th FLTS ACES II SSIP project manager.
White said since the initial fielding of ACES II in 1978, the  Air Force has made two significant changes affecting ejection seat safety. The changes were unforeseen when ACES II was initially developed. The first change was expanding the allowable aircrew weight range -- originally 140-to-211 pounds -- to 103-to-245 pounds.
“Another significant change affecting the safety of the ACES II was the introduction of helmet-mounted devices, particularly the nuclear flash blindness goggles used by B-2A Spirit aircrew. The combination of larger allowable aircrew anthropometric range, and the added head-born weight of the helmet-mounted devices, increased the risk of having an unsafe ejection,” said Daniel Bush, 418th FLTS ACES II SSIP project flight test engineer.
The GR7000 parachute is designed to handle the greater weight ranges for pilots and to provide a slower rate of descent and oscillation, according to the manufacturer.
In the past several weeks, testing of the GR7000 parachute consisted of 10 dummy drops, 20 live-person jumps and five drops using a crosswind deployment cylindrical test vehicle, which looks similar to an inert bomb.
“Key performance values for this test are airspeed, altitude, rate of descent and canopy structural integrity. Riser loads and acceleration data also will be collected and analyzed,” said Dean Van Oosterhout, 418th FLTS ACES II SSIP project engineer.
For test purposes, the 418th FLTS contracted a Skyvan from Skydive Perris, out of Perris, California. Skyvans have been previously used for live jumps, dummy drops and airdrops. The plane has an anchor cable with a winch on the right side of the aircraft cargo hold and bench seats for parachutists and passengers running down both sides. According to the 418th FLTS ACES II SSIP project pilot, Maj. Duncan Reed, the Skyvan is able to meet test requirements to climb and level off between 16,000 and 17,000 feet median sea level and trim to between 90 and 100 knots-indicated airspeed, which is required for the cylindrical test vehicle drops.
The ACES II Safety and Sustainment Improvement Program has been on-going for many years, according to White. She said in the past year, a critical design review was held that culminated in the final seat design and a qualification effort ensued.
“Approximately 80 percent of the qualification testing has been completed to date.”
Van Oosterhout said this particular testing of the GR7000 was for the B-2 version of the ACES II ejection seat, but data could be applied for all ACES II ejection seats currently using the C-9 canopy.Edwards AFB 



Air Force Material Command 



AFMC 



Advanced Concept Ejection Seat II 



Aces II 



GR7000 parachute 



Safety and Sustainability Improvement Program 



SSIP 



418th Flight Test Squadron 



C-9 canopy 



Air Force 



USAF 



fly 



Fight 



Win Featured News
        Senior Leader Priorities
                Kendall, Allvin, Saltzman urge modernization while warning Senate of delayed budgets
                    
                    Readout of Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall’s travel to the Philippines
                    
                    Air Force senior leaders visit Eielson AFB
                    
                    Air Force leaders focus on ACE during Kadena AB visit
                    
                    USAF senior leaders visit Mariana Islands on ACE tripInnovation
                F-16s arrive to be modified for autonomous testing
                    
                    AFWERX director discusses role of tech startups, quick innovation in Great Power Competition
                    
                    DAF delivers lethality at the speed of data during Project Convergence Capstone 4
                    
                    DAF welcomes industry partners to HQ development program
                    
                    DAF announces Spark Tank 2024 finalistsMAJCOM News
                Safety enterprise announces new mission, vision, goals in 2024 strategic plan
                    
                    Air Combat Command welcomes new commander
                    
                    USAFE-AFAFRICA commander discusses Integrated Air, Missile Defense during Munich Security Conference
                    
                    Flosi to AFMC family: Embrace change, make every day count
                    
                    AMC rises to increasing global tension
 Quick Links
AccessibilityContact UsEqual OpportunityFOIA | Privacy | Section 508Information QualityInspector GeneralJAG Court-Martial DocketLink DisclaimerNo FEAR ActOpen GovernmentOSI Tip LinePlain LanguageQuestionsResilienceRSSSite MapVeterans Crisis LineCareers
Join the Air ForceAir Force BenefitsAir Force CareersAir Force ReserveAir National GuardCivilian ServiceConnect
            Get Social with Us
            
            Official United States Air Force Website
    Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil