"Square" bailout parachutes?

[Erroll 80]

I am watching 'Dogfights' on History.

Vietnam, '71-ish, F4s vs Migs.

The hit Mig pilots appear to be bailing out on square ('drag' as opposed to ram-air) 'chutes. Am I seeing right?

[rapter 0]

My guess they used stock footage, para gear did have a square bailout rig.

Only the good die young, so I have found immortality,

[pchapman 279]

Quote

The hit Mig pilots appear to be bailing out on square ('drag' as opposed to ram-air) 'chutes. Am I seeing right?

To clarify -- the original poster is talking about
rounds that are square in shape,
a.k.a. cruciform canopies.

Not ram air canopies.

I don't know the answer but I recall the Soviets were big on cruciform canopies, generally seeming to apply them for more applications than we saw in the west.

It's an interesting possibility.

Did the video seem to match up or just seem to be pasted together from different sources?

Later ejection seats certainly used round rounds, although of the slotted style. (eg the K-36 seat used at the 1989 Paris airshow or whenever that was).

[riggerrob 643]

Yes, you were seeing correctly because the Soviets built several versions of square parachutes that only provided drag, and went essentially straight down.

IOW even though they had four corners, they went straight down.
They were installed in a variety of ejection seats and pilot emergency parachutes.

[Erroll 80]

Quote

Yes, you were seeing correctly because the Soviets built several versions of square parachutes that only provided drag, and went essentially straight down.

IOW even though they had four corners, they went straight down.
They were installed in a variety of ejection seats and pilot emergency parachutes.

Cheers, Rob.

In a subsequent episode a pilot who was involved in one of the dogfights being depicted recalled being surprised by the 'orange, square' canopy of a downed MIG pilot.