Fort Belvior –
In August, the Rhode Island National Guard hosted LeapFest 2024, an international paratrooper competition, in East Greenwich, Rhode Island. The event highlighted elite international paratrooper skills and promoted camaraderie and Esprit de Corps among the community of professional paratroopers. Various Allied Foreign Militaries and the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps took part. The competition featured the Maneuverable Canopy (MC-6) Personnel Parachute System, a product developed by the Program Executive Office (PEO) Soldier, a branch of the Army that develops and provides equipment for soldiers.
"LeapFest is one of the myriad of venues throughout the year that the Personnel Airdrop Team participates in and supports the Airborne Community through equipment training and assisting in formalizing Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures for airborne operations relating to parachute equipment," said MAJ Ryan Cermely, Assistant Product Manager for Personnel Airdrop at PEO Soldier.
Cermely, led a paratrooper team at LeapFest 2024. It was his first time at LeapFest, and he rallied his three fellow Airdrop Liaisons to compete with him in what is known as "the largest, longest-running international military static line parachute competition in the world."
Cermely explained that "the Personnel Airdrop Team spent two weeks during LeapFest to train both U.S. forces and international jumpmasters on the MC-6 parachute and T-11 Reserve Single Pin in preparation for the competition. Additionally, the Team set up displays to showcase our equipment to the force and foreign militaries, potentially seeking foreign military sales opportunities. This is an example of the myriad of venues throughout the year that the Personnel Airdrop Team supports the Airborne Community through equipment training and Airborne operations.”
The competitors used the MC-6, a steerable, parabolic parachute designed for static line jumps. LeapFest judges scored jumpers on their accuracy and speed over three jumps. Jumpers had to maneuver the MC-6 to land with the fastest time on target from CH-47 Chinook helicopters at 1500 feet.
The MC-6's lower rate of descent, low opening shock, better turning ratio, and better glide ratio than legacy parachutes prevented injuries. The fastest paratroopers skillfully maneuvered the MC-6 to land on the target within seconds of exiting the Chinook.
Additionally, Cermely participated in a foreign jump wing exchange where he jumped with Hungarian jump masters, showing interoperability with partner nations.
"LeapFest was a huge success and will be supported for years to come," said
Cermely.