Posted on 01/12/2005 9:51:15 AM PST by neverdem
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 1:44 a.m. ET
KANNAPOLIS, N.C. (AP) -- A protective windshield coating that improves visibility for NASCAR drivers is getting a new application on the windshields of U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopters flying combat missions over Iraq.
The clear plastic film, which race teams have been using for several years to keep flying debris from ruining drivers' view, was pioneered by Pro-Tint Inc., a 14-person company based in a small building in the heart of racing country.
Pro-Tint pioneered tear-away windshield film for racing teams in the late 1990s. The multilayer product is now used by virtually all Nextel Cup teams to protect windshields from small rocks, car parts and other debris that can reduce vision on a speedway.
Instead of replacing a scratched and pitted windshield, race teams merely peel off a layer of the protective film to reveal a new, clear layer of film underneath.
Recently, Pro-Tint teamed up with United Protective Technologies, another tiny firm, to produce a thicker and more complex Mylar protective film for military helicopters.
Starting this month, the companies will start shipping the coating, which is to be installed on hundreds of Blackhawks that are being flown on combat missions overseas in war zones like Iraq and Afghanistan.
In normal use, Blackhawk windshields last about two years. But the harsh conditions of the Middle East -- where choppers are pelted with gritty sand and other debris -- have reduced the average durability to under a year, the military has told Pro-Tint.
Scratched and damaged windshields being replaced in a matter of months, at a cost of up to $15,000 for all three front windows of a Blackhawk, plus downtime for installation.
The Army hopes to save millions of dollars with windshield films, which have been given the decided military moniker ASSALT -- Advanced Screen Saving Aviation Layered Tear-away. ASSALT kits aren't cheap -- about $1,000 -- but they're a bargain compared to replacing a windshield, said Pro-Tint vice president Steve Fricker.
``This will double the life of a Blackhawk's windshield,'' Fricker said of the technology, which resulted from a three-year-long development effort with United Protective Technologies, based in the Charlotte suburb of Mint Hill.
``We had to prove ourselves over the years with our work for NASCAR racing teams,'' Fricker said in a recent interview at Pro-Tint's headquarters. ``Then we started getting inquiries about whether this kind of technology could be used by the Army.''
Too small to be able to finance the cost of developing and testing a product that would suit the military's needs, Pro-Tint got help from the government, including $500,000 from the Defense Logistics Agency.
Nate Bordick, a test engineer at the Aviation Applied Technology Directorate at Fort Eustis, Va., said windshield films were tested under rigorous conditions in the Arizona desert, which demonstrated the product was a potential solution.
``We were doing 'brownout' runs, which are takeoffs and landings,'' he said. ``The windshields were being pelted with rocks an inch in diameter and lots of sand and dust. ...
``The pilots told us they really liked it and they were not affected by it,'' he added.
United Protective's Brent Barbee said that when the project began, the developers hoped to use essentially the same kind of technology used for the racing teams. But United Protective's engineers soon learned the film needed by the Blackhawks would be similar in appearance only.
``We thought we could use their (Pro-Tint's) technology, but we could not,'' said Barbee. ``There were a million things that needed to be changed.''
For example, the adhesive material that holds the film onto the windshield had to be much stronger because the Army did not want the film detaching in mid-flight and hitting the chopper's blades or being sucked into an engine.
And the film needed to work even when the pilots used night-vision goggles. Some plastic coatings can distort their vision.
``Any pits in the window really interferes with the pilot's ability to see'' with night-vision goggles, Barbee said.
The film also had to be considerably thicker than that used on race cars -- 7 millimeters instead of the NASCAR-standard 4 millimeters. And to maintain a clear view through the windshield, the engineers determined that only one layer of film could be installed on helicopters at a time, instead of the multiple layers used in NASCAR.
Both Barbee and Fricker believe the films will soon become a staple for military pilots.
``We know how to make it and we have shown we can make it work,'' Fricker said. ``NASCAR racing teams tend to be perfectionists. And we also are perfectionists, just like our friends in the military.''
wait a sec... isn't there a FReeper who works for this company?? hhmm... remember remember... darn it
Good thing. After driving in some bloody fog soup i can totally empathize (especially when some bozos think driving at 60+ in pitch-black fog is judicious, particularly when you can only see to a max of 5 feet in front of your car). After all, if merely driving in an opaque haze is horrid enough imagine flying through dust and debris! The helo pilots must be overjoyed.
Windshield tear-offs for helecopters. Cool. Now if they can refuel in 13 seconds...
I thought I remembered Doug From Upland saying something about window film. maybe not.
Yeah... but I don't think he was doing tear-offs
If they had 22 gallon fuel cells they could refuel in 13 seconds, but that's about how long they'd be able to fly.
15000??? There's this little shop down the street.......
Auto Glass Plus, makes it easy!
The Royal Air Force, prior to the Battle of Britain in 1940, had their Hurricanes and Spitfires fitted with bulletproof windscreens because the Fighter Command, OIC, had seen bulletproof glass portrayed in gangster flicks. This gave the Spits and Hurri's advantage when attacking the Nazi bombers head on.
2 hour turn around too. Might take a little longer for 3.
This product should be put on high end vehicles to keep them from being carjacked.
Would not mirrors be a lot more fun?
Why is government the last to know?
They can land and get service while the others are hovering =o)
Around here they will even come to your job and replace them in the parking lot:')
Military helicopters had "fuel cells" long before automobile racing. Helicopters are where the technology of explosion resistant fuel containers became a priority. Goodyear developed the fuel cells for Vietnam. After the wreck and fire at the Indy 500 in the mid 60's, Goodyear type cells became mandatory at the Brick Yard.
In this case, the officer, Air Marshall Hugh Dowding, RAF, was prescient. Dowding was a rarity, in the US military he might have been called a "Maverick". Dowding also refused to send any more British fighters to France after the middle of May, 1940, and never sent any Spitfires. When the Battle of Britain was over and won, though the Brits didn't know it, the RAF relieved Dowding of command and mustered him out of the RAF. The man who commanded the British fighter forces that won the Battle of Britain, sat out the rest of the war in a cardigan sweater.
I just had a good conversation with Steve Fricker. Military use of film is long overdue. His small company is going to be growing quite rapidly.
Thanks for the info, DFU.
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