Airborne Lifeboat
The first airborne lifeboat was British, a 32-foot (10 m) reinforced wooden canoe-shaped boat designed in 1943 by Uffa Fox to be dropped by Avro Lancaster heavy bombers for the rescue of aircrew downed in the English Channel. The Mark I lifeboat's descent to the water was slowed by parachutes.
In the United States, Andrew Higgins evaluated the Fox boat and found it too weak to survive mishap in emergency operations. In November 1943, Higgins assigned engineers from his company to make a sturdier version with two engines that would right itself if it landed upside down. Higgins Industries, known for making landing craft (LCVP) and PT boats, produced the A-1 lifeboat, a 1½-ton (1400 kg), 27-foot (8 m) airborne lifeboat with waterproof internal compartments so that it would not sink if swamped or overturned. Intended to be dropped by modified Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses, it was ready for production in early 1944. Later, the EDO A-3 lifeboat with an inboard motor, fuel, water and food was introduced as a replacement for the Higgins. Both airborne lifeboats required parachutes to slow their descent. As well, inflatable life rafts could be dropped without a parachute.
Read more about this topic: Air-sea Rescue