Drogue parachute
A parachute used for braking, stability, or deploying larger parachutes.
A drogue parachute, also known as a drag chute, is a type of parachute intended to be released from a fast-moving object. Its purposes include reducing speed, improving control and stability, pulling open a larger parachute, or some mix of these roles. Such parachutes have been used in multistage parachute systems, on aircraft, and in spacecraft recovery setups.
Russian inventor Gleb Kotelnikov, who also created the knapsack parachute, came up with the drogue parachute in 1912. That same year, he demonstrated its braking effect by attaching one to a car and opening it after accelerating to top speed on a road near Tsarskoye Selo. The Soviet Union began fitting drogue parachutes to some of its aircraft in the mid-1930s, and their use grew during and after World War II. Many jet aircraft have been equipped with them, such as the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress and the Eurofighter Typhoon. They were also standard in crewed space vehicle recovery programs like Project Mercury and Project Gemini, and they have been widely used on ejection seats for stabilization and deceleration.
The Soviet Union first adopted the drogue parachute on a limited number of aircraft in 1937, specifically those supporting Arctic polar expeditions like the North Pole-1 drifting ice station. This allowed planes to land safely on smaller ice floes. One of the earliest production military jets to use a drogue chute for slowing landings was the German Arado Ar 234, which had a deployment system in its rear fuselage. During the space race, both U.S. and Soviet human space programs—including Project Mercury and Apollo—used drogue parachutes alongside main parachutes for recovery. NASA’s large budget allowed extensive parachute development, including drogues for extreme conditions that later aided interplanetary missions. The Space Shuttle also used a drag chute during runway landings, and its solid rocket boosters were recovered with drogue parachutes.
Compared to a standard parachute, a drogue is longer and has a much smaller surface area, producing far less drag. It can be deployed at speeds that would destroy a conventional parachute, though it does not slow an object as much. Its simpler design makes it easier to deploy, reducing the risk of tangling or failing to inflate.
- Inventor
- Gleb Kotelnikov
- Year of invention
- 1912
- First use
- 1912 ground-based test using a Russo-Balt automobile near Tsarskoye Selo
- First aircraft adoption
- Soviet Union, mid 1930s
- Early production aircraft
- Arado Ar 234
- Space programs using drogue
- Project Mercury, Project Gemini, Apollo program, Space Shuttle
Lore & Background
The drogue parachute was invented by Russian professor and parachute specialist Gleb Kotelnikov in 1912, who also invented the knapsack parachute. Its first use was in a ground-based test that same year, when Kotelnikov accelerated a Russo-Balt automobile to top speed near Tsarskoye Selo and opened a parachute attached to the back seat, demonstrating its braking effect. The Soviet Union introduced its first aircraft fitted with drogue parachutes during the mid 1930s, initially for aircraft supporting Arctic polar expeditions such as the drifting ice station North Pole-1, enabling landings on small ice floes. Use of the technology expanded during and after the Second World War. One of the earliest production-standard military aircraft to use a drogue parachute to slow down and shorten landings was the Arado Ar 234, a jet-powered reconnaissance-bomber used by the Luftwaffe, with deployment capability in the extreme rear ventral fuselage. During the space race, drogue parachutes were adopted on numerous spacecraft, including all human space programs managed by NASA and the Soviets, such as Project Mercury and the Apollo program. The Space Shuttle also used a drag chute during landing, and its solid rocket boosters were recovered with the help of drogue parachutes.
Reader's Guide
The drogue parachute is notable for its elongated shape and smaller surface area compared to conventional parachutes, providing far less drag but allowing deployment at speeds that would tear apart conventional parachutes. Its simpler design makes it easier to deploy, minimizing tangling or inflation failure. In parachuting, a drogue (often called a pilot chute) is used to deploy a main or reserve parachute; in tandem systems, it reduces terminal velocity during freefall before deploying the main parachute. For aircraft, drag parachutes shorten landing distance, remaining effective on wet or icy runways and for high-speed emergency landings. Braking parachutes are also employed in drag racing, required by the National Hot Rod Association on vehicles reaching 150 miles per hour or greater. Drogue parachutes stabilize objects in flight, such as thrown anti-tank grenades, air-dropped bombs, and nuclear bombs like the B61 and B83, slowing descent to allow escape from the blast. They are used on ejection seats for stabilization and deceleration, and on escape capsules for supersonic aircraft and spacecraft. In spaceflight, drogue parachutes remain key for controlling very fast descents during atmospheric entry, used until conditions allow main parachutes or retropropulsion. They have been employed on the Boeing X-37, SpaceX Dragon capsules and fairing halves, Rocket Lab Electron first stages, ISRO's Gaganyaan modules, the Chang'e 5 re-entry craft, and all successful Mars landing missions as of January 2024.
Did You Know?
- The drogue parachute was first demonstrated in 1912 by attaching it to a Russo-Balt automobile near Tsarskoye Selo.
- The Soviet Union first adopted drogue parachutes on aircraft in the mid 1930s to support Arctic polar expeditions.
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