Unitech Composites’ LASS for Afghan Black Hawks
Unitech Composites will provide its lightweight armament support structure (LASS) weapons pylons for the UH-60A Black Hawk helicopters that the US is supplying to Afghanistan, the company announced on 16 October.
The LASS weapons pylons will be installed on UH-60A Black Hawks with fixed-forward-firing weapons, for both the Afghan Air Force and the special operations-dedicated Special Mission Wing.
Unitech’s initial contract, with Science and Engineering Services, is for the first three LASS shipsets, with the first scheduled to deliver in the fourth quarter of 2018.
The LASS weapons pylons were developed as a lightweight, corrosion resistant direct replacement for the external fuel system (EFS) single-station weapons pylons that were installed on MH-60 DAP helicopters. The LASS weapons pylons are 52% lighter than legacy metallic EFS pylons and they reduce drag and maintain a neutral lift. They are easy to install and designed to fit existing UH-60A/L/M Black Hawk models with standard hardpoints, but can be also be configured to support a variety of weapons configurations including 30mm cannon, 50cal guns, 2.75in rocket pods and several missile payloads.
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