"As more women strap into fast jets to get the mission done, I think the Air Force is heading in the right direction," Capt. One pilot who tested the new suit said she saw a definite improvement. "Pilots were asked to evaluate based on not only the ATAGS during high-G maneuvers, but also during regular activities like sitting, standing, walking and climbing into and out of the aircraft," said Sharon Rogers, lead test engineer with the 46th Test Squadron. Doing so also allowed the pilots to compare the suits' performance, the service said. The goal is to get the enhanced G-suits to fighter pilots and aircrew who need them within 12 to 24 months, the release states.ĭuring the tests, five fighter pilots and one aircrew member wore the modified G-suits while flying F-16 Fighting Falcons, conducting low- and high-G basic fighter maneuvers during 20 different sorties, according to the release.įor safety reasons, two-seater F-16D model jets were used - one pilot wore the modified ATAGS while the co-pilot wore the standard suit as backup in the event of a malfunction with the refitted equipment. She stressed that the waist option "is applicable to anyone who needs it." The service is currently looking at how airmen can request custom sizing " the process has not been formalized," Bray told. "The waist option is not going to be mass-produced in all because it's custom," Bray said Tuesday. The ATAGS tests were conducted by the 85th Test and Evaluation Squadron, which falls under the 53rd, in conjunction with the 46th Test Squadron and 96th Test Wing. Savanah Bray, spokeswoman for the 53rd Wing at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. While the new lacing panels will be standard for all, the tailored waist portion is elective for the few men or women who may need it, explained 1st Lt. Brittany Trimble, F-16 instructor pilot, dons her flight gear, including the modified ATAGS, prior to flying. The concern was that women didn't have enough endurance to handle something called an "anti-G straining maneuver," which requires contractions of various muscle groups and rapid breathing.Capt. Previously, some in the military thought that women couldn't perform as well as men in the hypergravity encountered in fighter aircraft, said Christopher Hearon, a kinesiology researcher at Texas A&M-Kingsville who studied G-forces while working for the Air Force Research Laboratory at Brooks Air Force Base. If they're outfitted properly, they can handle G-forces just as well as men and may be a bit better at tolerating decompression without becoming ill. In addition to supporting female soldiers in training, research also produced positive findings for female pilots. This means that women can still undergo intensive training, although statistics suggest they might have fewer fractures if they train separately from men, Beck said. "They adapt to loading in a very similar way that men do, and may even have a slight advantage that is related to estrogen." But relative to the demands put on them, they may be stronger than men," he said. "In absolute terms, they have weaker bones. "Relative to the demands put on them, they may be stronger than men," said Johns Hopkins University bone specialist Thomas Beck, whose research is cited in the Journal of Women's Health report.
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