Rafael external protection system is designed to save crew and passengers during a crash or hard landing
The Israeli air force is preparing to begin tests of the Rafael rotorcraft external airbag protection system (REAPS) on one of its helicopters. The flight tests should lead to initial deployment of the system in 2006 (Flight International, 18-24 May 2004).
The technology is designed to protect a helicopter's crew and passengers during a crash or hard landing. Ground tests have been performed on a range of helicopters.
In one of the tests a Sikorsky CH-53 fuselage was released from a height of 28ft (8.5m). According to the air force, the system successfully "protected" the dummies that simulated the crew and passengers. A total of 36 airbags were attached to the CH-53 fuselage.
The system is based on an array of external airbags that inflate when sensors trigger a pyrotechnic system. Activation occurs when the sensors detect a dangerous combination of altitude loss and ground proximity. The protection system consists of a varied number of standard-sized airbags, the number and distribution of which are determined by the size of the helicopter.
According to Rafael, the system will cost "less than $500,000". Development began after a fatal mid-air collision of two Israeli air force CH-53s in April 1997.
ARIE EGOZI / TEL AVIV
Source: Flight International
