Thanks Coff, great find. back in 86 I was still playing with Andovers, Nimrods VC10 and helicopters various. Did not get into dropping stuff till 95 - finished in 2011. I certainly recall watching the series and discussing same.
VX275 would have been on the trials team back then. 30 tons! are you sure? HSP certainly with the load protection frame which we found in early 2000s that it always had been outside of the permitted envelope (No wash away) A slow extraction may have taken the tail out had the platform over-rotated.
I wonder if folks think the chutes had split up the side? They were made that way to be repaired by replacing modules . The design goes back to the early 50s I have a copy of an advert from Flight dated 1956 (the year before we were born) describing a 22,000 lb drop using those chutes from the Beverley. I will dig it out from the bowels of my computer.
A400M should be doing two 16 ton platforms by now. I note that they managed 24 single one tons a few weeks back (In Cazaux using our UK SC15 chutes- well done Pike!) Not sure what we can do from the J these days. Certainly not 16 tons or even the HSP. just goes to show how good the K was.