GVH Aerospace announced at the Farnborough Airshow 2018 that it has been selected to provide its wet deck product for Boeing Defence Australia’s Helicopter Aircrew Training System (HATS). The selection concludes the competitive tender process and the wet deck product will be used for over-water hoist training.
“We are pleased to offer a mature, field tested and adaptable product, working with Boeing to understand their customers’ requirements and ensuring delivery of a best value-for-money product,” said Gareth Dyer, CEO.
“GVH Aerospace’s heritage and experience in supporting the Australian helicopter operators with search-and-rescue solutions designed to work in demanding and austere environments is a key driver behind our product development approach. Meeting end user needs in these situations is foremost in our minds,” he added.
The wet deck, also known as a sea tray, provides a water-proof, flexible, hard wearing protective covering to protect the cabin floor against the corrosive effects of sea water during over-water hoisting operations. The wet deck is fully certified to aeronautical standards, and can be installed in less than five minutes as part of the role-fit equipment in search-and-rescue operations.
GVH Aerospace’s has customized its wet deck product to meet the Boeing HATS requirements. The wet decks are currently in service with EC225, AS332, S-76, S-92 and AW139 helicopter operators, and will be entering into service with the Korean Coast Guard Helicopter.
The Boeing HATS program provides the Australian Defence Force with helicopter aircrew training. The program training asset includes 15 Airbus EC135 T2+ helicopters, and on maturity, will train up to 130 students each year from the Australian Army and Royal Australian Navy, in addition to qualified aircrew returning for instructor training.
