Genuinely innovative products are relatively rare in the aviation industry - so when Dayton-Granger (Stand D244) and Canadian company Bristol Aerospace introduced a helicopter antenna incorporating the deflector component of a wire strike protection system (WSPS) cutter assembly, there was considerable interest.
Research and development efforts have been on-going for several months, with Florida company Dayton-Granger recently completing the first prototype unit.
After flight testing and evaluation by the US Army, production is expected to begin in the second quarter of this year.
Opportunity
Dayton-Granger marketing director Gary Groselle says: "We recognised an opportunity to save weight and free up much sought after 'real-estate' on helicopters by incorporating our state-of-the-art antenna technology into Bristol's world-leading WSPS."
Bristol marketing man Russ Duffy adds: "This will save operators money by combining two highly-desirable products into one."
Initial development focused on incorporating a UHF antenna into the WSPS upper cutter on Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk machines, but the technology can also be utilised in the commercial field.
Source: Flight Daily News
