Parachute or jet pack

[jander]

I've noticed in the Masters Book that several TC divisions are listed as airborne troopers that can be inserted into an area using helicopters or parachutes. My question though is wouldn't they be using jet packs for jump operations instead? Any thoughts

[glitterboy2098]

well, not all situation require jetpacks.

jetpacks are going to be loud and highly visible, so if your doing covert insertions they may not be ideal.
also, they'd have exhuast areas you have to avoid while in use, which could mess up the ability to land in the same rough area, and will spread out how long it takes to deploy from the aircraft.
they are also going to have a limited amount of fuel.. depending on how high up your starting, you might not have much left once you get to the ground, making reuse fairly difficult.
further, they're going to be large and heavy, and thus cut into the amount of gear you can carry once on the ground.
they are also expensive, so they'd not be something you could dispose of once landed.

there is also training concerns. parachute training is relatively simple. knowing how to activate it, how to steer, and how to land even in the more exotic jump types(like a HALO jump) the parachute part is fairly simple. a jetpack on the the hand is basically going to need training akin to that of a helicopter or VTOL jet. you have to know thrust levels, exhaust vectoring, center of balance vs center of thrust, watch your fuel use, etc. this is going to be harder to train for. plus a jetpack user has to know all the parachute stuff as well, because if the pack fails or runs out of fuel at the wrong moment, the only thing to keep you from plummetting to death is going to be a parachute backup.

[Tiree]

well, not all situation require jetpacks.

Even though I agree with this assessment. I do not 100% agree with the reasoning. I feel that the Jetpack as a tool would be embraced by a vast majority of this type of role. It's really an aspect of the limitation of the hardware.

If you toss a person out of an airplane at 10,000 feet can he safely hit the ground with a jetpack? Is there enough fuel? Can it slow the decent?

[taalismn]

well, not all situation require jetpacks.

Even though I agree with this assessment. I do not 100% agree with the reasoning. I feel that the Jetpack as a tool would be embraced by a vast majority of this type of role. It's really an aspect of the limitation of the hardware.

If you toss a person out of an airplane at 10,000 feet can he safely hit the ground with a jetpack? Is there enough fuel? Can it slow the decent?

And can you have a backup chute if the pull cord starter on the jetpack fails to catch?

[jander]

Thanks much for the replies, it helps us put things into perspective a bit better