One of the primary advantages of the ballute configuration is mass. As a result, an alternative ballute was proposed. At Mach 2 a drogue ballute deployed and slowed the vehicle's descent. One of the primary inflatable deceleration technologies is a trailing ballute configuration. The ballute has been used as a retarding device for freefall bombs dropped from aircraft. Armadillo Aerospace used a ballute in the testing of its STIG-A rocket in early 2012. This stabilizes the ballute as it decelerates through different flow regimes (from supersonic to subsonic).