Corps Leadership at Bragg Jump the New T-11 Parachutes

Thursday at Normandy Drop Zone, the Corps leaders will be first out the door to jump the T-11 parachutes after both classroom and practical training exercises.

Last June, a T-11 parachute malfunction claimed the life of Staff Sgt. Jamal Clay of the 82nd Airborne Division.

During Clay's third jump with the parachute, he experienced a malfunctioned during a routine static line night jump at Fort Bragg's Sicily Drop Zone.

The Army's new T-11 parachute is a square-shaped canopy, rather than the traditional round-shaped parachutes.

The new shape is supposed to reduce injuries by creating a slower, more controlled descent.

The T-11 parachutes were first used on Fort Bragg in December 2009. By 2014, the 82nd Airborne Division will have 14,000 of them.

Pictures of the jump will be posted tomorrow on the site. Get Patch headlines and photos in your inbox at fortbragg.patch.com/newsletters .