As children, we all dreamed of being able to fly one day. Unfortunately this is not yet possible with our human capabilities, but thanks to military technology assisting paratroopers, those who want to feel the thrill of flying in a natural way and without an engine have the possibility of experiencing a feeling that is close to what birds might feel during flight.

All this thank to the Gryphon parachute, developed by the Spelco consortium, which also manufactures a wide range of equipment for parachuting, such as helmets and oxygen supplies.
Despite not being equipped with an engine, Gryphon sports an electronic guidance and navigation system, housed in a stealth type shell which makes it invisible for radars.

The flying parachute allows its user to glide in all directions (except upwards, of course) at a speed around 90 kilometers per hour. Gryphon’s project team have stated that this system is designed for high altitude and high opening missions, where a normal parachute is opened at high altitudes and used to glide downward.

Thanks to Gryphon and to its high maneuverability, it is now possible to achieve a 5:1 glide ratio, which means that, if a paratrooper jumps out of the plane at a 5000 meters altitude, he will be able to glide up to a distance of 25 kilometers.
A possibility for further improvement of the system might come from the application of a small engine to the Gryphon, which would allow it not only to glide downwards for a longer distance, but also to fly upwards.

By doing this, the ancient dream of finally being able to fly might be one step closer, at least for paratroopers of the 21st century!