Waldenburg, Switzerland — REVUE THOMMEN AG announced at Heli-Expo 2010 that they are introducing a new searchlight to the global rotary wing market. On Thursday, January 28th in St. Petersburg, Russia, REVUE THOMMEN signed a broad and comprehensive licensing agreement with TRANSAS, the manufacturer of a technologically advanced helicopter searchlight.

TRANSAS is a large Russian manufacturer of aviation and marine products designed for their domestic applications. After investigating the searchlight potential of the US and other markets, and learning that without EASA or FAA airworthiness certification, sale of the product was impossible, they entered into the Licensing Agreement with THOMMEN.

The licensing agreement is an effective response to market conditions and a natural result of the two Companies’ complementary manufacturing and marketing philosophies. The agreement calls for:

·         Exclusive worldwide sales and distribution rights (exception Russia)

·         The complete transfer of all technical and design data and documentation

·         Complete design and production authority at THOMMEN in Switzerland

“The HSL-1600 Searchlight, engineered by TRANSAS, fits perfectly into the THOMMEN business philosophy and strategy of delivering SWISS quality products in niches where current product offerings fail to meet the needs of the market” stated Rudolf Iten, Director of Sales and Marketing and the Vice Chairman of THOMMEN.

The original TRANSAS design incorporated a significant content of European and other western components. The re-designed THOMMEN HSL-1600, however, will be a certified product under the auspices of EASA and the FAA, will not include any ITAR regulated components, and will essentially eliminate all Russian components. The final production line version of the HSL-1600 will ship with an EASA Form One, Certificate of Airworthiness. 

The THOMMEN HSL-1600 design features include:

·         A THOMMEN Part Number and Manufacturer’s Nameplate.

·         Integrated circuitry for all power management and control including active SLASS capability for onboard FLIR or camera systems. 

·         All the assemblies, mechanisms and connecting wires of the HSL-1600 searchlight are within the streamlined casing of the searchlight. The integration of these components into the unit itself eliminates aerodynamic issues and the need for any additional clumsy remote junction boxes and intermediate cabling.

·         An automatic aerodynamic parking position when switched off, placing the lens facing aft avoiding potential damage from bird strikes and other FOD.

·         An optional, bolt-on low power IR illuminator mounted on bottom of the searchlight casing requiring no additional adjustment operations or settings during mounting.  When operating in IR mode the main lamp is off reducing the power consumption and the heat signature of the aircraft.

·         Easy operation from a choice of up to three independent handheld controllers or from the cyclic or collective grips.  In addition the system can be integrated with any digital map or tracking system via a built-in RS-422 interface.

·         Very competitive pricing.

REVUE THOMMEN AG maintains a network of authorized service stations throughout the world which will be trained and authorized for the 24/7 support of the HSL 1600.

REVUE THOMMEN AG is a leading manufacturer of aircraft instruments, air data systems, and other aircraft equipment used worldwide on a full range of aircraft types from helicopters to corporate aircraft and commercial airliners. THOMMEN is a long established supplier to the global Aerospace Industry and a qualified supplier to most of the OEM helicopter manufacturers including AgustaWestland, Eurocopter, and Bell.

THOMMEN maintains all the quality certifications including AS-9100, ISO 9001:2000, EASA Part 21 and EASA Part 145.

For more company and technical information go to www.THOMMEN.aero.