UAVs, loitering munitions and paramotors
What is carried drives the design. For unmanned and manned aircraft, cargo and precision delivery.
- 01
VTOL parachute recovery systems
VTOL platforms demand extremely fast deployment and rapid stabilisation — at both ends of the flight envelope.
- 02
Parachutes for fixed-wing drones and UAVs
Fixed-wing platforms deploy in flight with no hover phase — on some unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) the parachute replaces the landing gear.
- 03
Helicopter drone and UAV recovery
An unmanned helicopter is a VTOL special case: the rotor is literally in the way of deployment.
- 04
JPADS
In a Joint Precision Aerial Delivery System the canopy sets the stand-off range: the better the glide, the further the aircraft can stay away.
- 05
H.A.L.O. high altitude low opening
High Altitude Low Opening means falling fast for a long time and opening late — which requires a two- or three-stage deployment sequence.
- 06
HAHO jump: high altitude high opening
High Altitude High Opening means the parachute deploys immediately after the payload exits the aircraft — and then glides a long way to the target.
- 07
High-velocity drogue parachute
Decelerating a very fast-moving object requires carefully engineered multi-stage solutions that withstand extreme aerodynamic forces.
- 08
Aerial delivery: non-guided cargo drops
Non-guided cargo parachutes are typically designed for one-time use — which makes cost-effectiveness a design goal, not a side effect.
- 09
Powered paraglider · foot launch
The paramotor combines ultra-lightweight design with operational flexibility and needs almost no logistics — no runway, no prepared surface.
- 10
Paratrike and powered paragliding
For paratrikes the engineering covers both: the main canopy of the trike and the emergency parachute system for crew, payload and equipment.
Source: apcodefense.com (APCO Aviation), as of 25 September 2026.
Asked in technical terms.
Which platforms are recovery systems available for?
Fixed-wing and VTOL drones, unmanned helicopters, paramotors and paratrikes, JPADS and non-guided cargo delivery, and HALO and HAHO jumps. Each design follows its platform: mass, deployment speed and installation space determine canopy shape and deployment sequence. Solutions exist for platforms from a few kilograms up to the tonne range.