Manufacturer catalog

Airborne Systems North America

Airborne Systems North America is a U.S. parachute and aerial-delivery manufacturer whose product lines include military troop parachutes, GPS-guided precision cargo-delivery systems, low-cost cargo parachutes, parachute releases, oxygen systems, rescue and survival equipment, space and air-vehicle recovery systems, and aircraft deceleration systems. The company traces its lineage to Leslie Irvin's 1919 Irvin Air Chute Company and operates as part of TransDigm Group's aerospace-components portfolio.

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Airborne Systems' North American business sits in a specialized corner of the defense and aerospace supply chain: fabric structures, parachutes, guidance units, decelerators, and recovery systems that let aircraft, spacecraft, cargo loads, and personnel separate from flight vehicles in controlled ways. Its catalog-relevant defense work includes the JPADS/GPADS precision airdrop family, conventional troop and cargo parachutes, and mission-planning and avionics support for guided cargo delivery.

The company describes more than a century of parachute design and production history, beginning with Irvin Air Chute in Buffalo, New York. Public Airborne Systems material links that legacy to U.S. Army MC-6 and T-11 troop parachute milestones, DragonFly and FireFly guided cargo systems, NASA recovery and entry-descent-landing work, and recent production of tens of thousands of T-11 parachute systems.

military parachute systemsguided precision aerial delivery systemscargo and troop parachutesspace and air-vehicle recovery systemsoxygen and parachutist life-support systemsaircraft deceleration and recovery systems

Notable Systems

Joint Precision Air Drop System, GPS-guided airdrop system with steerable parachute bundles, Support Equipment

FireFly / JPADS 2K guided airdrop system

GPS-guided airdrop system with steerable parachute bundles

FireFly is Airborne Systems' 2K-class guided precision aerial-delivery system within the GPADS/JPADS family, with the public JPADS record covering its role and specifications.

Sources: Airborne Systems GPADS
Joint Precision Air Drop System, GPS-guided airdrop system with steerable parachute bundles, Support Equipment

DragonFly / JPADS 10K guided airdrop system

GPS-guided airdrop system with steerable parachute bundles

DragonFly is Airborne Systems' 10K-class GPADS product, tied in public sourcing to the heavier JPADS precision cargo-delivery class.

Sources: Airborne Systems GPADS, Airborne Systems Timeline

Manufacturer History

  1. Irvin Air Chute Company formed

    Airborne Systems' own timeline traces the company lineage to Leslie Irvin's free-fall parachute descent and the formation of the Irving Airchute Company in Buffalo, New York.

    Sources: Airborne Systems Timeline, Airborne Systems 100 Year Anniversary

  2. Irvin, Para-Flite, and GQ brought under one ownership structure

    Airborne Systems' timeline says Alchemy Partners purchased Irvin and placed Irvin, Para-Flite, and GQ Parachutes under an umbrella later known as Airborne Systems.

    Sources: Airborne Systems Timeline

  3. U.S. Army selected DragonFly and FireFly

    Airborne Systems records the U.S. Army selection of its DragonFly and FireFly self-guided parachute systems, product names that remain central to the JPADS/GPADS line.

    Sources: Airborne Systems Timeline, Airborne Systems GPADS

  4. TransDigm acquired Airborne

    TransDigm reported acquiring all outstanding stock of Airborne Global Inc. for about $264.2 million in cash and described Airborne as a designer and manufacturer of personnel parachutes, cargo aerial-delivery systems, emergency escape systems, naval decoys, and related products.

    Sources: TransDigm 2014 Form 10-K Acquisition Note

  5. 50,000 T-11 parachute systems milestone

    Airborne Systems' timeline says the company celebrated having manufactured and distributed 50,000 T-11 parachute systems worldwide.

    Sources: Airborne Systems Timeline

Predecessors
Irvin Air Chute CompanyPara-FliteGQ Parachutes
Website links
Official WebsiteGuided Precision Aerial Delivery SystemsCargo and Troop ParachutesContact Locations

Public sources often use Airborne Systems, Airborne Systems Inc., Airborne Global Inc., and Airborne Systems North America for related corporate and operating entities. Weapon records use Airborne Systems North America as the canonical manufacturer name while the sourcing notes the TransDigm ownership and Irvin/Para-Flite/GQ lineage where sources identify them.

Manufacturer Sources

  • Airborne Systems About UsPublisher: Airborne Systems | Note: Supports the manufacturer's product scope, parachute-design history, and defense/aerospace focus. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Airborne Systems GPADSPublisher: Airborne Systems | Note: Supports GPADS/JPADS product-family scope, payload classes, avionics, mission planning, and military customer context. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Airborne Systems Cargo and Troop ParachutesPublisher: Airborne Systems | Note: Supports troop and cargo parachute product lines and T-11 product context. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Airborne Systems TimelinePublisher: Airborne Systems | Note: Supports the Irvin lineage, MC-6/T-11 milestones, DragonFly and FireFly selection, and the 50,000 T-11 milestone. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Airborne Systems Contact UsPublisher: Airborne Systems | Note: Supports the listed New Jersey, California, and Arizona Airborne Systems locations. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • TransDigm 2014 Form 10-K Acquisition NotePublisher: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission | Note: Supports TransDigm's December 2013 acquisition of Airborne Global Inc. and the acquired company's product categories. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • DoD Contracts March 17 2025Publisher: U.S. Department of Defense | Note: Supports the 2025 U.S. Army contract award to Airborne Systems North America - CA Inc. for T-11 parachute production. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Airborne Systems 100 Year AnniversaryPublisher: Airborne Systems | Note: Supports the 1919 Irvin Air Chute origin story and the 100-year company-history framing. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Airborne Systems HomePublisher: Airborne Systems | Note: Supports high-level product categories and official company context. | Accessed: 2026-07-11

Produced weapons

Category

Support Equipment

Transport, logistics, recovery, command, engineering, and other enabling equipment.

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Joint Precision Air Drop System, GPS-guided airdrop system with steerable parachute bundles, Support Equipment2001 War in Afghanistan, 2003 Iraq WarJoint Precision Air Drop SystemGPS-guided airdrop system with steerable parachute bundlesBuilt in: United StatesJoint Precision Air Drop System (JPADS) is a U.S. precision-aerial-delivery family that combines a steerable parafoil or other decelerator, an autonomous guidance unit, and mission-planning software to put cargo near a designated impact point from high-altitude standoff drops. Public Army and Marine Corps material separate the family into payload classes such as ultra-lightweight, 2K, and 10K, while Airborne Systems' related GPADS line maps those roles to products including FireFly, DragonFly, and one-time-use FlyClops 2K.