Date: Jun 16, 2003 Source: Business Wire (
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BROOKLYN, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 16, 2003--Atair Aerospace, Inc. (Atair AS) is a Brooklyn-based Defense Company that specializes in developing advanced-design autonomously guided parachute systems for the precise, reliable, and cost-effective airborne delivery of equipment and supplies, ordnance, and personnel in fulfillment of critical military, relief, and rescue missions.
Recent conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Somalia have demonstrated the critical need for guided parachute systems to replace current, obsolete airdrop delivery techniques. Recognizing this serious problem, the U.S. Army has made precision airdrop a central component to its Revolution in Military Logistics (RML), a strategic plan to modernize its Objective Force for the twenty-first century.
"out of over 1000 initiatives in the U.S. military, the development and implementation of guided parachute technology ranks 22... and of those top 22, guided parachutes have one of the highest visibility across all branches of the military."
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The proliferation of inexpensive surface-to-air missiles gravely jeopardizes aircraft and personnel flying below 25,000 feet; a significant problem since conventional military airdrop techniques require cargo to be released from altitudes below 1,500 feet. Speaking with National Defense Magazine about this problem, Edward Doucette, Director of Airdrop and Aerial Delivery at the Army Natick Soldier Center, Mass., stated that "dumb airdrop - the way we (the Army) do it today - is at the mercy of the wind, and accuracy is nonexistent."
In response to the critical strategic requirements of precision airdrop, Atair AS has developed the ONYX System. This recoverable and reusable delivery system can be deployed from an altitude of up to 35,000 feet and autonomously navigate its cargo to a predetermined landing target, thus ensuring the safety of aircraft and personnel from hostile ground-based fire.
After release from the aircraft, the ONYX System employs an elliptical parafoil for initial deployment and guidance. The navigation of the cargo to a predetermined landing zone is controlled by an on-board flight computer that utilizes GPS and Inertial Navigation Sensor technology. A second non-guided parachute is then deployed at the lowest possible altitude for a soft landing.
The ONYX System is unique in that its design significantly reduces time aloft and vulnerability to wind. It is also scalable to considerably heavier cargo weights than is feasible with other technologies. The technological advances used to design this system have received multiple top awards, been used to set multiple world records in the parachute industry, and have led Atair AS to file more than 16 patents.
In order to meet RML goals, the military will need the rapid, accurate, clandestine, low cost, and low vulnerability delivery of supplies to its troops. In a presentation given by Edward Doucette during the 2003 Parachute Industry Association Symposium, he stated that, "out of over 1000 initiatives in the U.S. military, the development and implementation of guided parachute technology ranks 22... and of those top 22, guided parachutes have one of the highest visibility across all branches of the military."
As a part of this development process, Atair Aerospace has been awarded Phase I SBIR funding from the Natick Soldier Center under the auspice of the United States Army to develop a 75lb. ONYX autonomous guided parachute delivery system. In addition to government awarded funds of $849,338, the Festo Corporation has Fast Tracked Atair AS' SBIR transition to Phase II funding with a $250,000 dollar investment. Consequently, Atair AS has been invited to present its ONYX autonomous guided parafoil system during the Precision Airdrop Technology Conference and Demonstration (PATCAD) at the U.S. Army Yuma Proving Grounds on November 3rd though the 7th, 2003. Natick has since identified Atair Aerospace as the only U.S.-based company to be demonstrating fully autonomous flight capability.
For more information contact Mark Montalvo at mark@extremefly.com or visit Atair Aerospace's website at www.extremefly.com/aerospace, and be sure to check out the live jump videos in the press section!
Contacts
Atair Aerospace, Inc.
Mark Montalvo, 718/923-1709
Fax: 718/923-1733
mark@extremefly.com
www.extremefly.com
