Maintainer Head and Hearing Protection

The Flight Deck Cranial (FDC), a new helmet design for USN maintainers working on carrier flight decks, is being developed under SBIR funding. The FDC acquisition program includes KPP’s for head impact protection, hearing protection and stable integration to NVG equipment. Adaptive Technologies, Inc. is leveraging its ongoing development of extreme noise hearing protection and communication solutions for integration with its SBIR design of the FDC helmet. The FDC design is nearing completion and will undergo transition during this system design and development (SDD) phase of the program. In this context, “transition” refers to: • Completing necessary non-recurring engineering activities, including drawing packages and manufacturing work instructions • Manufacturing pre-production test units for the purposes of completing validation testing, operational testing and field evaluation • Conducting formal testing including environmental, impact, and other validation testing required for the target operational environment. The compatibility features of ATI’s FDC design permits use with current and future hearing protector designs, as well as flight deck goggle systems, and night vision devices. The new helmet will dramatically improve head protection and serve as a comfortable platform for the innovative personal communications and hearing protection designed for extreme noise environments.