Indianapolis Company Awarded Contract For Helicopter Restraints
Wolf Technical Engineering has been awarded a contract by the Australian Government to deliver a modified version of its Universal Mobile Aircrew Restraint System (UMARS)
Online, January 11, 2013 (Newswire.com) - Wolf Technical Engineering, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Wolf Technical Services, Inc. announced that it has been awarded a production contract by the Australian Government to deliver aircrew restraint systems for Australian Army and Royal Australian Air Force helicopters. Wolf will deliver a modified version of its Universal Mobile Aircrew Restraint System (UMARS).
UMARS was originally developed under contract to the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, with funding assistance from the Indiana Economic Development Corporation's (IEDC) 21st Century Technology & Research Fund and with investment from Wolf Technical Services, Inc. The system installs in rotary or fixed-wing aircraft and attaches to mobile aircrew members to provide stability during flight maneuvers, protection against ejection from the aircraft, and life-saving energy absorption during crashes or hard landing events. The system also features an adjustment that limits the travel of the crewmember to his pre-set work radius, thereby preventing accidental ejection and mitigating contact injuries within the cabin. The Australian UMARS version incorporates an intelligent sensing and locking feature that further limits aircrew motion during a crash or other extreme dynamic event.
"We are proud to be fielding the UMARS system in Australia," said Stuart Nightenhelser, Program Manager of the UMARS program. "It is especially meaningful for Wolf to be able to contribute to the safety of our uniformed men and women worldwide. And it is gratifying to see the work of so many people come to fruition, from the engineers at AFRL who first recognized the need for improved aircrew safety, to the visionaries at IEDC who saw the potential of this new technology."
Steve Hourigan, CEO of Elevate Ventures said, "Since 2006 the IEDC, through its SBIR program, has participated in this project. There is no greater validation of the importance and impact of such investments than the commercial success of a high-technology Indiana company. We couldn't be more pleased." Elevate Ventures is a venture development organization that began managing the 21st Century Technology & Research Fund in April 2011, under contract with the IEDC and the State of Indiana. Elevate Ventures continues to manage past and current 21st Century Technology & Research Fund investments.
The initial delivery of UMARS systems will be used for operational test and evaluation during airworthiness certification activities. Production of operational units will follow later in 2013.
About Wolf Technical Engineering, LLC
Wolf Technical Engineering LLC is wholly owned by Wolf Technical Services, Inc. Wolf was founded in 1977 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Wolf develops innovative military systems for all branches of the Armed Services in addition to providing expert forensics services to clients worldwide. Products developed or under development by Wolf include an electronic version of the aircrew restraint system for the US Navy; a crashworthy troop seat that passively adapts its response to occupant weight; a digital flight glove that reads hand gestures and movements to allow pilots and aircrew to communicate with one another and with computers, switches and other devices; a deployable weigh-in-motion system that detects anomalous loading of passing vehicles that may indicate a vehicle-borne IED; a robotic arm system for automatically inspecting steam condensers aboard US Navy ships; and an anthropomorphic test device (ATD) for use in blast testing, which features frangible synthetic bones and calibrated indicators of spinal injury and traumatic brain injury. Wolf also develops products, including automation and robotic systems, for commercial companies.