Innovative Mission Equipment & Cargo Restraint for Rotary & Fixed Wing Aircraft

Safe, Inc. proposes to develop and qualify hardware to restrain mission equipment in USN and USMC rotary and fixed wing transport aircraft in this Phase II SBIR Program. The new hardware will restrain mission equipment to the required load factors of 20g’s forward, 20g’s vertical, and 10g’s lateral. The system was conceived in Phase I to restrain mission equipment weighing up to 400 lb in the cargo area of both the V 22 or the H 53E, although the concept likely can be applied in other aircraft as well. The concept consists of a rigid framework which can remain connected to the mission equipment item even when the equipment is removed from the aircraft. Interface hardware is designed into the system to quickly latch the mission equipment to floor ring or sidewall shackle tie-down provisions on the aircraft. In Phase I, concept feasibility was demonstrated for the V-22 and the H 53E by analysis. Phase II will continue the design development through detailed stress analysis, prototype fabrication, user evaluation, and design revisions as appropriate. Phase II will conclude with fabrication of production representative prototypes, environmental exposure and static load testing to qualify the system for operations.