Pocket-sized Surface Flotation Device for Cold Water Aviation Survival

The Navy requires a life raft that is small enough to fit within a front pocket on the body-worn survival ensemble. Having a pocket-sized raft at hand helps facilitate successful egress, inflation, and boarding. The required 12 cubic inches of stowed volume is a significant challenge, considering that a typical one-person raft compacts to about 700 cubic inches under vacuum. Safe, Inc. (Safe) has proposed a raft with innovative features to help meet this extreme volume reduction. The raft will be made of ultra-thin fabric that is two to four times thinner than current-generation flotation fabrics. The inflator will require about 12 times less volume than current inflation systems. The raft will be compressed to minimize its packed volume prior to vacuum sealing. Safes project team includes an experienced fabric developer and a manufacturer with practical experience building rafts from thin fabrics. Safes commercialization strategy assures flexibility to address both military and commercial markets.