Unitech Composites, a Unitech Aerospace company and leading supplier of complex composite laminates, components and assemblies for the commercial aerospace and defense industry, delivered the first production shipset of Multi-Station Lightweight Armament Support Structure (MLASS) wings for use on the U.S. Army’s MH-60M aircraft.
This is the first of nine shipsets that will be delivered to the U.S. Army Special Operations Forces Support Activity (SOFSA). The U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF) already deploy Unitech’s Lightweight Armament Support Structure (LASS), a single-station weapons pylon for the MH-60.
Unitech’s MLASS is a lightweight, corrosion resistant direct replacement for the External Stores Support System (ESSS). MLASS and LASS weapons stores interface with standard military bomb ejector racks and support a variety of weapons configurations including the M230 30 millimeter cannon, M261 rocket launcher and M299 missile launcher.
A fully configured set of MLASS wings is 270 pounds lighter, has better center of gravity and drag characteristics and is quicker and easier to install than a set of standard ESSS wings.
“Thanks to MLASS, our nation’s warfighters no longer have to choose between having more fuel or having more ammo — they can have both,” said Dan Kinney, military programs business development manager for Unitech Composites.
“We are also excited about this product because it enables the venerable Black Hawk to be a true multi-role aircraft, which we think will resonate well with many UH-60 operators.”
Unitech currently offers LASS and MLASS as off-the-shelf solutions for UH-60A/L/M Black Hawk models as well as S-70 aircraft to U.S. and international customers. Additionally, the company is skilled at converting components and systems to composites and works with customers to develop customized solutions that greatly enhance aircraft capability and performance.
