CompositesWorld

NOV 2017

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NEWS 25 CompositesWorld.com Composites for US Army's Black Hawk Unitech's Lightweight Armament Support Structure (LASS), a single- station weapons pylon for the MH-60. MLASS is a lightweight, corrosion- resistant direct replacement for the External Stores Support System (ESSS). MLASS and LASS weapons stores interface with standard military bomb ejector racks and support a vari- ety of weapons configurations, includ- ing the M230 30-mm cannon, the M261 rocket launcher and the M299 missile launcher. A fully configured set of MLASS wings is 270 lb/123 kg lighter, have better center-of-gravity and drag characteristics and are quicker and easier to install than a set of stan- dard metallic ESSS wings. Dan Kinney, military programs business develop- ment manager for Unitech Composites, says MLASS is a step up from its LASS predecessor, offering two weapons stations on each pylon, compared to one on each LASS. More importantly, Kinney notes, the weight savings provided by MLASS increase the Black Hawk's versatil- ity. He says the gross take-off weight of the current generation of Black Hawks used by the US Army is 22,000 lb/9,980 kg, which is reportedly too easily and quickly reached. As a consequence, Kinney says, mission operators of the Black Hawk frequently must sacrifice fuel for weapons, or vice versa, to keep the gross weight under the regulation military mission weight limit. Each MLASS pylon weighs 148 lb/67 kg, for a shipset total weight of 296 lb/134 kg. With wiring and bomb release racks added, total shipset weight increases to 540 lb/245 kg, which is 270 lb/123 kg less than the ESSS shipset weight of 810 lb/367 kg. Trimming 270 lb/123 kg from the craft allows that much more fuel or ammuni- tion aboard the aircraft during missions. The capacity of each weapons store on the MLASS pylon is 700 lb/318 kg. Further, Kinney says, the Black Hawk, historically, has been a utility helicopter, designed to carry troops and supplies. The option of arming them, which better weight management provides, makes them appealing to countries and governments that need such flex- ibility and/or cannot afford to acquire more expensive attack helicopters. Contact us for a free no obligation mold release anti-stick lubrication consultation: www.mclube.com | 800.2.MCLUBE (800.262.5823) | info@mclube.com Over 60 yrs of experience in all facets of composites molding. Around the world, Team McLube is the proven leader in providing cost effective release solutions. Visit us at CAMX 2017 Booth F31 A temperature control partner you can count on. Designed to Perform. Built to last. With a full line of heating and cooling systems ranging from -20°F to 700°F (-29°C to 371°C), Mokon has a process temperature control solution for every application. Download our application flyer at mokon.com/composites.

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