Program Overview

University Program Overview

The Airborne School US Army Airborne School is a three-week course held at Fort Benning. The program is designed for deserving cadets who have excelled in their studies, and it is facilitated by the Monarch Battalion.

Program Structure

The three-week course is divided into three main sections:

• Ground Week
• Tower Week
• Jump Week

Ground Week

During Ground Week, students must pass the Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT). The week begins with an intensive program of instruction to build individual Airborne skills, which prepare the Soldier to make a parachute jump and land safely. Key training activities include:

• Training on the mock door
• Training on the 34-foot tower
• Training on the lateral drift apparatus

Tower Week

Tower Week completes the Soldier's individual skill training and further builds team effort skills. To progress to Jump Week, Soldiers must:

• Qualify on the Swing Lander Trainer (SLT)
• Master the mass exit procedures from the 34-foot tower
• Gain canopy confidence
• Learn how to manipulate the parachute from the 250-foot tower
• Pass all physical training requirements

Jump Week

Successful completion of the previous weeks of training prepares Soldiers for Jump Week. During Jump Week, Soldiers must successfully complete five jumps at 1,250 feet from a C-130 or C-17 aircraft.

Program Completion and Certification

Paratroopers who successfully meet course requirements are granted an additional skill identifier and are authorized to wear the coveted "Silver Wing" on their uniform, located to the right.