Gliding parachutes are a specialized type of deceleration parachute designed to improve performance by generating both drag and lift. By gliding through the air rather than simply descending, they reduce sink rate and extend horizontal travel, making them ideal for precision landing applications.
Also known as Rogallo-type parachutes, these are constructed from a single layer of high-strength technical fabric with no internal volume. While their glide ratio (L/D) is limited compared to advanced ram-air canopies, they offer the optimal balance between weight, packed volume, and descent rate.
This makes them particularly effective for weight-sensitive platforms such as UAV recovery systems, precision cargo drops, and special forces deployment, where lightweight, low-bulk, and low-volume textile solutions are mission critical.
When compared to parachutes of equal flat surface area (flat surface meaning the canopy area when laid flat on the ground), well-designed gliding parachutes are typically 20–25% more efficient in reducing sink rate than round parachutes, and 10–15% more efficient than rectangular parachutes.
APCO Aviation Defense designs and manufactures military-grade gliding parachutes to exacting ISO 9001 standards, using certified, combat-proven materials. Every system is fully traceable from raw material to final deployment, ensuring reliability in mission-critical defense operations.
We work with your team through every stage of the project to deliver reliable, mission-ready solutions.
Align on mission needs, operational constraints, and success criteria.
Engineer lightweight, low-bulk solutions built around performance.
Prototype and test to verify reliability and safety.
Manufacture with quality control and timely delivery.
Provide documentation, training, and ongoing support.
APCO Aviation Defense works within the standards, certifications, and regulatory frameworks that support defense and aerospace programs.
APCO Aviation Defense delivers lightweight, high-performance parachutes, inflatables, and recovery systems for UAVs, loitering munitions, and tactical platforms. Backed by 50+ years of aerospace innovation, we provide custom textile solutions from concept to deployment.
Solutions are shaped around what must be recovered, captured or protected.
Compact textile solutions help reduce integration burden and support prototypes, small production runs and larger project needs without requiring large batches.
Net materials, deployment logic and structural behavior are evaluated for the application.
Selection and development are guided by the operating conditions and the validation required.
Explore ready product options developed for lightweight recovery, precision airdrop and mission-ready integration.
Controlled descent solutions for speed reduction and safer recovery.
Steerable canopy solutions for guided descent and improved landing control.
High-performance gliding parachutes for precision recovery and delivery.
Lightweight cruciform and cross parachutes for recovery applications.
Practical guidance on UAV recovery, parachute systems and protective textiles from APCO’s engineering team.
A gliding parachute is a deceleration parachute designed to generate both drag and lift. Unlike a purely non-guided canopy, it can create forward movement during descent and provide greater influence over the return path and landing approach.
A Rogallo parachute is a single-surface gliding canopy made from high-strength technical fabric. It provides glide and directional control while maintaining relatively low weight and packed volume.
Gliding parachutes are useful where a UAV or payload needs more control over the return direction than a non-guided parachute can provide. Their combination of glide, steering capability and lightweight construction can support recovery where weight and packing volume are important constraints.
Yes. Steerable gliding parachutes can provide trajectory control during descent, helping influence the return direction and approach toward the landing area.
A landing flare uses steering input near touchdown to convert part of the canopy’s forward speed into additional lift. This can help reduce sink rate and ground-impact forces when the operating conditions support it.
A Rogallo-type gliding parachute uses a single-surface canopy and generally provides less glide performance than an advanced multi-cell ram-air canopy. Its advantage is the balance between glide, directional control, low weight and compact textile construction.
Applications can include UAV and drone recovery, precision cargo drops, steerable emergency parachutes for personnel or equipment, and other recovery missions where lightweight construction, glide and landing control are important.
