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Fast-roping
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==Equipment and techniques== {{multiple image |width1=225 |image1=US Army 160th SOAR with FRIES insert a Ranger team.jpg |caption1=[[United States Army|US Army]] [[75th Ranger Regiment (United States)|Rangers]] fast-rope out of a [[MD Helicopters MH-6 Little Bird|MH-6 Little Bird]] on the roof of a building during a [[close quarters combat]] exercise |width2=255 |image2=SAAF-Fast roping-001.jpg |caption2=[[South Africa]]n soldiers fast-roping from an [[Atlas Oryx]] helicopter }} === Rope === The rope must be thick, typically 40 mm (1.57 in) diameter, to prevent it from being wildly jerked about from the rotor blast of the helicopter. Some types have a weighted core, the ballast helping to combat the blast effect.<ref>See, for example, [https://patents.google.com/patent/US7954410 US Patent No. 7954410]</ref> ===Glove techniques=== Fast-ropers use heat-resistant [[glove]]s to protect their hands from the heat of friction while descending. Such gloves are generally not dextrous enough to be useful after the descent has been completed, though specialized gloves have been developed for this purpose. More often, a glove-inside-glove technique is used, with tactical gloves worn inside heavy leather metalworking gloves. After descending the rope, the wearer removes the outer gloves to regain dexterity.<ref>{{cite tech report|number=AFRL-RH-WP-TR-2012-0098|title=Putting Lives on the Line: The Fast Rope Glove Challenge|last=Trew|first=Noel J. M.|last2=Camping|first2=John D.|last3=Lee|first3=Robert A.|last4=Bean|first4=Corey R.|year=2012|institution=[[Air Force Research Laboratory]]|url=http://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a563981.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924122821/http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a563981.pdf|url-status=live|archive-date=September 24, 2015}}</ref> ===Use of feet=== [[File:US Navy 081021-N-2183K-034 A Marine performs a fast-rope training exercise from a CH-46E Sea Knight helicopter onto the flight deck of the amphibious assault ship USS Peleliu (LHA 5).jpg|thumb|upright|Fast-roper using his feet while descending to control his speed.]] In the U.S. Marine Corps, fast-ropers are trained to control the speed of descent by using their legs and feet in addition to their hands (instructors claim that some Marines have let go of their rope because their gloves became too hot, causing injury).{{citation needed|date=March 2014}} Deployment of around 25 fast-ropers onto a ship can take about 30 seconds.<ref name="marinesjournal" /> The British military advises against use of the feet as this can make the descent for following personnel more dangerous: boot polish or the leather of the boot can make the rope extremely slippery.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://classes.lt.unt.edu/Spring_2011/LTEC_3260_020/cdm0244/assignment4/csar.html |title=The U.S. Navy's Combat Search and Rescue Units |access-date=2017-01-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202070500/https://classes.lt.unt.edu/Spring_2011/LTEC_3260_020/cdm0244/assignment4/csar.html |archive-date=2017-02-02 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
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