Iris Ultra parachute recovery product

The Iris Ultra is a toroidal parachute recovery canopy made by Fruity Chutes for slowing the descent of uncrewed aircraft and other payloads. The model described here is the 192 inch Compact version of the Iris Ultra line, an Ultra Compact Toroidal design intended for the parachute recovery of a drone, rocket stage or similar vehicle in an emergency or planned recovery.

The headline figure is the rating of 204 lb at 20 fps, and the product listing also gives 114 lb at 15 fps. In practice the first number is the vehicle weight that the canopy brings down at a sink rate of 20 feet per second, and the second shows how the permitted weight falls when a slower descent is required to protect the airframe or payload. The coefficient of drag is stated as 2.2, and the canopy has 18 gores. The maker also provides a descent rate calculator for this canopy, which lets an integrator check the sink rate against the actual all-up mass before choosing the size.

Packaging matters for airframes with limited space. The Compact configuration weighs 60 oz with a Spectra and Kevlar bridle, and its packing volume is 7.4 inch in diameter by 7.5 inch long, which is 322.2 cu inch. That volume assumes a packing density of 0.18 oz per cu inch, typical of a deployment bag, while a traditional fold and wrap reaches about 0.13. A deployment bag is therefore the intended way to stow the canopy, and a top loop is included for use with one.

The load path is made of a 1/4 inch Kevlar bridle without a swivel and shroud lines of 400 lb Spectra, with an optional 725 lb Microline available on request. Colours are two alternating panels as standard, with stock combinations of orange and black, red and white, or yellow and black, and custom colours as an order option.

For integration the maker lists compatible items: the CDB-75-10 and CDB-75-14 deployment bags, CFC-36 and CFC-42 drogue parachutes, HKS-500 and HKY-500 harnesses, SCN-1000 and SCK-500 shock cord, and the QL-312 quick link. Together with a deployment trigger, they make up a recovery installation matched to the vehicle mass and the descent rate required. The attachment point, the use of a drogue to stabilise the vehicle before main deployment, and the shock cord that limits opening load are choices the integrator makes for each airframe.

Typical applications are recovery of fixed-wing and multirotor UAS, parachute systems for heavy payloads, and rocketry. Any use as a certified flight-termination or ballistic recovery device depends on the vehicle programme, as the product page does not state any certification.