6. Number of years in the business
10+
7. Annual average (past 3 years) revenue
$23.1M - $50M
8. Current number of full time employees
101 - 250
9. Please select the categories that the small business falls into
Small Business
10. Rank in order the top three (3) categories where the small business currently provides products &
services.
1 (1)
Air Force
2 (2)
3 (3)
X
Marine Corps
Department of Homeland Security
Army
X
X
Coast Guard
Navy
Intelligence Agencies
Other
If other(DARPA, SOCOM, DTRA, DLA), please specify:
11. Describe the nature of your business
Chemical Biological Defense
Combat Survivability
Health Affairs
Homeland Security
Manufacturing
Special Operations/Low Intensity Conflict
Targets, UAVs, & Range Operations
12. Specifically identify the month and year of the project start and completion date. Use "ongoing" if
the project is still in progress. The project should be within the last 24 months.
January 26, 2010 - Ongoing (Production of equipment)
13. Describe how this project's success directly or indirectly supports the warfighter. (200 words or less)
The PRODUCT is a medical protection device that is part of the PRODUCT Family of Systems
and supports the Air Force, Army, Marine Corps., and Navy. The PRODUCT provides
respiratory protection against Chemical/Biological (CB) agents as well as lens demisting
capabilities for rotary wing aircrew. The blower system is worn by the aircrew as part of the
PRODUCT’s ensemble. This system draws air into the battery powered centrifugal blower that is
also suitable for operation from aircraft power. The air is directed through the military C2A1
filter canister purifying the air prior to being delivered to the aircrew faceplate and hood
subassemblies. In addition, the PRODUCT is extremely lightweight and offers greater comfort
and less physiological burden as a result of providing a pressurized air supply to the aircrew
during flight operations.
14. Describe the need the project fulfills/why the project was started. (200 words or less)
Chemical and biological weapons are a real and immediate threat to the warfighter. As a result,
the development of individual protective equipment is critical for the survival of our military
personnel. Subsequently the PRODUCT was developed to provide chemical/biological
protection to rotary wing (helicopter) aircrew personnel, allowing in-flight donning and doffing
while providing positive pressure purified air. The PRODUCT provides the ability to integrate
with existing flight helmets, below-the-neck CBRN ensembles, and aviation life support
equipment allowing the replacement of six existing aircrew masks currently in the Department of
Defense inventory. The PRODUCT is a critical part of this system providing a single respirator
for at least twenty five general purpose rotary wing platforms. This PRODUCT provides the
necessary CB protection while also reducing physical burden and fatigue for the rotary wing
aircrew.
15. Describe the approach and solution to the project need. Do not provide any information that may be
considered intellectual property. Feel free to provide pictures/graphics if they assist in describing the
story. These may be submitted via email to Rebecca Danahy at rdanahy@ndia.org. Do not provide any
marketing material. (500 words or less)
The COMPANY’s PRODUCT utilizes a unique blow-through design that draws contaminated
air into a centrifigal blower. The centrifugal blower then pushes air at a high pressure/velocity
into the filter cartridge prior to the breathing tube assembly/user facepiece. The packaging of the
PRODUCT is the critical feature due to its extremely small size. As a result of the blow-through
design, the unit measures only 4.5”H x 2.6”W x 5.4”L making it one of the most powerful yet
smallest PRODUCT available. The housing for the blower consists of several custom injection
molded components utilizing a material that provides exceptional resistance to degradation when
exposed to petroleum based products, antifreeze, and cleaning fluids. The blower assembly
incorporates a custom wound high rpm DC motor, EMI filter, voltage regulator printed circuit
board (PCB) w/On/Off switch, and power interface cable/plug. The PRODUCT operates from a
D-Cell battery pack specifically designed to provide a nominal 6.0VDC power source. The
blower system can also operate from an alternate low temperature battery source as well as
aircraft power. The battery pack is a two piece injection molded design utilzing a material that
also provides exceptional resistance to degradation when exposed to petroleum based products,
antifreeze, and cleaning fluids. The battery case assembly consists of a case and lid measuring
just 5.6”H x 3.7”W x 2.2”D not including the coiled power cable and connector. The battery case
incorporates an anti-rattle device to minimize noise generated by the batteries during use and
contains a polymeric positive temperature coefficient (PPTC) device for limiting current and
protecting the on-board electronics in the event of a short circuit condition. The battery case also
incorporates an overmolded strain relief cable assembly and lid sealing gasket allowing
submersion of the battery case without water leakage within the housing. The PRODUCT
includes special EMI shielding techniques that provide the required protection to comply with
radiated and conducted emmission and susceptability requirements. The basic operation of the
PRODUCT is as follows: The battery case provides a nominal 6.0VDC voltage to the On/Off
Switch of the blower assembly. Upon activation of the switch the on-board voltage regulator
provides the appropriate voltage to the custom DC motor. The motor is designed to produce a
specific revolution per minute (rpm) that rotates the centrifugal impeller resulting in the required
air flow being delivered to the aircrew.
16. Provide quantitative results, if possible, to describe what savings/benefits/value the project provided.
Examples such as $1.2 M in savings, 50% increase in productivity, or 200% improvement in safety, etc.
are appropriate and recommended as long as they can be verified with the customer. (200 words or less)
The PRODUCT provides the ability to integrate with existing flight helmets, below-the-neck
CBRN ensembles, and aviation life support equipment allowing the replacement of six existing
aircrew masks currently in the Department of Defense inventory. The PRODUCT is a critical
part of this system providing a single respirator for at least twenty five general purpose rotary
wing platforms. This consolidation of existing aircrew masks and standardization of equipment
across multiple rotary wing platforms provides a significant logistical improvement and
substantial dollar savings in inventory management.
17. Describe the extent of the project impact. Was it something that provided positive benefits to all
military personnel (e.g. electronic health records)? Was it something that provided success in a very
specific environment (e.g. Navy aircraft improvement)? (50 words or less)
The PRODUCT supports the Air Force, Army, Marine Corps., and Navy rotary wing aircrew in
the respiratory protection against Chemical/Biological (CB) agents while relieving physiological
stress on the user. Additionally, it provides a single respirator for at least 25 rotary wing aircraft
platforms.