Katana vs Stiletto

Performance Designs Katana · Performance Designs Stiletto · Canopy explorer

Manufacturer facts side by side, with the source on every row. Nothing on this page says which canopy to choose or what wing loading to fly — that is a conversation for you, your canopy coach and your drop zone.

What differs — read from the data

Katana and Stiletto are both made by Performance Designs.
Planform: both are listed as elliptical.
Both have 9 cells.
Neither is cross-braced.
Katana is listed in 83–170 sq ft; Stiletto in 89–190 sq ft.
The listed size ranges overlap between 89 and 170 sq ft.
Published aspect ratio: Katana 2.74, Stiletto 2.68.
Both charts list Performance Designs' maximum exit weight per skill category and size — the same size can be read in both tables below.

Structural facts only (manufacturer, planform, cells, bracing, sizes, chart system). How each wing flies is described below in the manufacturer's own words; how it flies for you is a question for a canopy coach.

Side by side

	Katana	Stiletto
Manufacturer	Performance Designs	Performance Designs
Status	current	current
Cells	9	9
Planform	elliptical	elliptical
Cross-braced	no	no
Aspect ratio	2.74	2.68
Sizes (sq ft)	83–170 Source: Performance Designs — KATANA product page ↗	89–190 Source: Performance Designs — Stiletto product page ↗
Designed for (manufacturer wording)	Advanced to expert skydivers Experienced canopy pilots Camera flyers Individuals who are actively working on their canopy piloting skills Individuals who want an aggressive canopy but are not interested in or ready for a cross-braced canopy Source: Performance Designs — KATANA product page ↗	Intermediate to Experienced jumpers Getting back from long spots Individuals looking for a fun-to-fly canopy with responsive handling Source: Performance Designs — Stiletto product page ↗
Characteristics (manufacturer keywords)	Long recovery arc · Long snivel openings · Very steep glide · Wide speed range · Very light front riser pressure · Long dynamic flare Source: Performance Designs — KATANA product page ↗	Flat glide · Short recovery arc · Extremely responsive toggle input Source: Performance Designs — Stiletto product page ↗
Opening	Soft, smooth openings; long snivel (product page).	When propacked, the canopy opens very soft, and somewhat snively. It is somewhat sensitive to body position during inflation, but opens generally on heading.
Recovery arc	Long recovery arc (product page).	Short recovery arc (product page). FC: the Stiletto tends to stay in a steep dive for a long time after several high speed turns.
Glide	Very steep glide (product page).	Slightly flatter glide angle at full glide than the Sabre; flight in brakes is a fairly slow, very floaty, flat glide.
Speed / dive	Wide speed range; steep dive (product page) — no airspeed figures published.	Slightly faster than a Sabre (qualitative only; no airspeed figures published).
Flare	Long dynamic flare; powerful flare (product page).	Less forgiving of overflaring, since its stall is sharper (than Sabre); slightly shorter control range than a Sabre.
Front risers	Very light front riser pressure (product page).	Tends to front riser to a higher airspeed, but not at quite as steep an angle as a Sabre; slightly slower turn rate on front risers, but airspeed and rate of descent build up faster.
Rear risers	not published	not published
Harness response	not published	Very responsive to harness movements during deployment.
Toggle response	Long control range (product page).	Rolls into a toggle turn much faster than a Sabre; continues to turn as it slowly rolls out of a fast turn.
Loading system	Maximum exit weight per PD skill category and size (chart below).	Maximum exit weight per PD skill category and size (chart below).
Manufacturer-stated experience requirements	none stated	none stated
Evidence level	A — Manufacturer technical documentation	A — Manufacturer technical documentation

Flight wording is quoted or closely paraphrased from each manufacturer's own documents; where a manufacturer publishes nothing for a row it says "not published". No airspeed figures are published by either manufacturer.

Your wing loading on each size

Exit weight (you + all gear): kg

Enter an exit weight to see exit weight ÷ size for every listed size of both canopies and where each number sits on the manufacturer's own chart.

Wing loading = exit weight (lb) ÷ size (ft²). PD's chart lists the MAXIMUM exit weight per skill category — the category shown is the lowest one whose maximum covers your weight, by PD's own rule. JYRO's range is a manufacturer envelope, not a target. The two systems are never translated into each other.

The manufacturers' charts

Katana — Performance Designs chart: maximum exit weight (lb) per category

Size	Student	Novice	Intermediate	Advanced	Expert	Maximum (never exceed)
83	N/S	N/S	N/S	107	142	160
89	N/S	N/S	N/S	116	155	175
97	N/S	N/S	N/S	128	171	193
107	N/S	N/S	N/S	144	192	216
120	N/S	N/S	N/S	162	216	243
135	N/S	N/S	N/S	176	229	257
150	N/S	N/S	N/S	195	242	271
170	N/S	N/S	N/S	221	255	285

N/S = not suggested by the manufacturer for that category. Weights are maximums, not recommendations.

Source: Performance Designs — Katana Flight Characteristics and FAQ (FC-0006 Rev. 0) ↗

Stiletto — Performance Designs chart: maximum exit weight (lb) per category

Size	Student	Novice	Intermediate	Advanced	Expert	Maximum (never exceed)
89	N/S	N/S	N/S	107	138	160
97	N/S	N/S	N/S	116	150	175
107	N/S	N/S	N/S	128	171	193
120	N/S	N/S	126	150	198	204
135	N/S	N/S	155	169	223	230
150	N/S	128	173	188	233	255
170	N/S	153	196	213	255	272
190	N/S	181	219	238	266	285

N/S = not suggested by the manufacturer for that category. Weights are maximums, not recommendations.

Source: Performance Designs — Stiletto sizing / wing-loading chart (PD website Stiletto Wing Loading Chart, TABLE-0176 REV.0) ↗

Sources

B Performance Designs — KATANA product page — open ↗
A Performance Designs — Katana Flight Characteristics and FAQ (FC-0006 Rev. 0) — open ↗
B Performance Designs — Katana Wing Loading Chart (product page) (TABLE-0171 REV.0) — open ↗
B Performance Designs — Stiletto product page — open ↗
A Performance Designs — Stiletto Flight Characteristics (FC-0013 Rev. 0) — open ↗
B Performance Designs — Stiletto sizing / wing-loading chart (PD website Stiletto Wing Loading Chart, TABLE-0176 REV.0) — open ↗

Evidence levels: A = manufacturer technical documentation, B = manufacturer product information. Knowledge base version canopy-kb-2026.09.23-r3. All sources used on this site

See it in your own data

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Other comparisons: Katana vs Pulse · Katana vs Sabre3 · Pulse vs Stiletto · Sabre3 vs Stiletto · Comp Velocity vs Katana · Comp Velocity vs Stiletto · Katana vs Spectre · Katana vs Storm

Safety notice: This tool is for data review only. It does not replace canopy coaching, DZ rules, traffic awareness, S&TA guidance, or manufacturer guidance. Everything here is information for learning — not advice or a recommendation about any canopy, wing loading, turn or decision. Your decisions are your own. See the Terms of Service.