Multifabs Survival Limited
Development of the new RAF Search & Rescue Winchman Immersion Suit: A COTS Procurement Case Study.
Andrew Wilson
The UK MOD Search and Rescue service exists primarily to assist
military and civilian aircrews that get into difficulty. In
reality, this is a rare occurrence and most of the rescues are of
civilian, non-flying related. The Royal Navy any Royal Air Force
SAR helicopters are located at eight bases across the UK. The
service area extends from the Faeroes in the North, to the English
Channel in the South, about halfway across the Atlantic Ocean and
halfway across the North Sea.
What the SAR crews wear, and the personal protective equipment they
use, is controlled by the Survival & Airborne Delivery
Integrated Project Team (S&AD IPT). Based at RAF Wyton,
Cambridgeshire, the S&AD IPT's role is to supply essential
safety equipment at the SAR crews are reliant upon, as part of a
'duty of care' commitment to crews.
Following successful trials, Multifabs secured a Contract to supply the SAR winchman with a 'Commercial-off-the-Shelf' (COTS) immersion dry coverall similar to those currently in service with the UK HM Coastguard civilian SAR winchmen.
Multifabs Survival Limited has over 30 years of experience in designing and manufacturing immersion dry coveralls for specialist applications, from helicopter occupants for the offshore oil and gas exploitation, to the emergency services and defence departments worldwide.
The old suits being replaced (the Mk. 2 Helicopter Winchman Immersion Suit), were heavy, non-breathable, and not flame retardant. Developments in textile technology can now offer higher levels of protection. The new immersion suit is manufactured from a Gore-Tex® Nomex® laminanate that offers both flame retardancy, waterproofness and breathability.
As well as developments in the main fabric technology, Multifabs also offer computerised bespoke tailoring to offer mass customisation. This means that the end user can wear a personally tailored garment, delivered in the same time scale as a standard sized garment.
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