Ejecting from a fighter aircraft without canopy jettison systems can be a painful business. Many pilots have suffered broken collar bones or worse.
Now PMP, a subsidiary of South Africa's Denel, has designed and manufactured a canopy ‘fragilisation' system that works on those aircraft which have canopy reinforcement immediately above the pilot.
The fragilisation system produces cracks in the transparent plexigas canopy before seat ejection occurs, reducing the risk of the resultant adverse loads on the pilot. It has been designed to occur without noticeable delay between the pilot's controlled action and actual seat ejection. Acceleration of the seat is not affected in any way.
The system is currently being installed in South African Air Force fighters, having been qualified to stringent military specifications.
PMP has been involved in manufacturing ammunition for small arms and medium-calibre weapons for more than 50 years but has now begun to break out into new areas while using its existing manufacturing technology.
Source: Flight Daily News
