Puma helicopters get protective covers
Air Covers has been awarded a contract by the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) to provide protective covers for Puma Mk2 helicopters, the company announced on 12 August.
The fleet contract, which is to be delivered within three months, is valued at £75,000. The upgraded Mk2 helicopters will be operated by the Royal Air Force in challenging climates and the protective covers will help ensure effective operations away from home.
John Pattinson, managing director, Air Covers, said: ‘This was a tough design challenge. Military helicopters bristle with antennae, cameras, hoists and sensors. Effective covers must fit like a skin in high winds, repel heat and sand in the desert and insulate in the Arctic. They have to be fast to fit and safe for the aircraft.
‘Although our processes require laser scanning, 3D modelling and CNC prototyping it was probably our track record in Canada, Scandinavia and the Middle East that proved most important when proposing a solution. We are delighted to have won the contract and we are very confident that these covers will reduce maintenance costs and increase aircraft availability.’
Air Covers has supported the UK's Lynx, Merlin and Apache helicopter fleets on operations since 2008.
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