Curtiss-Wright will introduce a new low-cost, single operator shipboard Helicopter Handling System (HHS)

Curtiss-Wright will introduce a new low-cost, single operator shipboard Helicopter Handling System (HHS), designed specifically to address the size and weight limits of smaller ships, at the Defence and Security Equipment International exhibition, DSEI 2015 (Stand S9-231).
A more compact and lighter variation of the company's proven TC-ASIST HHS, the new INDAL Manual Aircraft Straighten and Traverse (MAST) system is track-based and controlled using a chest pack mounted Portable Control Unit worn by the operator while working alongside the aircraft. This approach eliminates the need for a permanent HHS console onboard an already space constrained ship. The INDAL MAST system combines design attributes of the proven Italian Navy TC-ASIST (Orrizonte/FREMM) with elements from the in-service Royal Navy MANTIS Handler.

INDAL MAST is Landing Grid compatible and safely and securely maneuvers and traverses a wide variety of helicopters, including the Lynx, EH101 and Dauphin between the flight deck and the hangar. Enabling helicopter missions in harsh environments, MAST is designed to deliver optimal performance in all weather conditions, day and night, in sea conditions up to sea state 6.

"As Naval helicopter deployments increase around the globe, rotorcrafts are more frequently tasked with landing onboard smaller ships," said Lynn Bamford, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Defense Solutions division. "Our new, innovative Manual Aircraft Straighten and Traverse system is the first to deliver a low-cost, single operator solution for securing and traversing helicopters on space constrained smaller vessels."