Cgear has been supplying the tactical helimat landing zone (LZ) to the military for 20 years. CGear provides products to the Australian and British Armies, US Marines, Chilean Airforce, NATO, and the UN, and focuses on solutions for sand and dust abatement, as well as foreign object damage (FOD) and brownout challenges for helicopter landing and take-off.
Tactical helimat for brownout helicopter landing solutions
The CGear Tactical Helimat has been designed and manufactured to efficiently and effectively resolve brownouts on helicopter landing zones, meaning no more hard landings/crashes, enabling a maintenance reduction of over 90%.
Maintenance damage to a helicopter caused by sand during one desert landing varies from USD $5,000 to $15,000, depending on the helicopter type. The Cgear LZ prevents damage to all parts of the helicopter from sand, substantially reducing maintenance. The reduction in maintenance required results in a virtual increase in fleet size of 30%, as the fleet continues to fly and there is an increase of time over target (TOT) by the helicopter fleet. A fleet of 10 helicopters becomes the equivalent of 13.
The CGear LZ has been used since 2006 by the US Marines, as well as the UK and Australian armies.
The company’s products are used by the Australian Army, the US Marines and the UK MoD.
The CGear Tactical Helimat has been specially designed and manufactured as a solution for ‘Brownouts’ on helicopter landing zones.
CGear Australia has designed and patented the only landing zone (LZ) to eliminate ‘brownout’.
The helimat is easy to deploy & takes less than 60 minutes for a trained team of 8 to deploy/pull up. It is extremely lightweight at less than 1500 lbs/590kgs, easily transportable, relocatable & configurable for any type of helicopter. The synthetic mesh material has rip-stop technology, ten-year UV protection, is impervious to petrochemicals, has no point of failure as no mechanical equipment is required for deployment, and offers a secure helipad in adverse environmental conditions such as dust and debris, snow, mudslides and bushfires.
The helimat is highly versatile for military applications, with a customisable shape to suit a wide range of requirements and tasks.
These include the forward planning and refuelling points (FARPS) for pack-up and deploy operations, increasing helicopter ‘time over target’, along with the option to lay the helmet in and around medical and logistical installations and headquarters to maintain low dust levels.
Brownout elimination using extreme lightweight helimat landing zones
Cgear Australia has designed and patented the only landing zone (LZ) that eliminates brownouts, resulting in increased maintenance savings when landing in desert conditions.
The LZ has been designed to be configurable with all helicopter sizes to eliminate brownouts. It needs to be a minimum of 4m; approximately 13ft greater than the rotor diameter of any helicopter to prevent brownout, which then covers the Vortex downwash that causes the brownout issues.
The Cgear LZ has been in use since 2006 in Iraq, where the US Marines deployed more than six million square feet of LZ’s. It is also in use by the British and Australian Armies.
LZ is Night Vision (NV) capable from 1,100 yards/1 kilometre with NV goggles using ambient light from the stars or moon.
LZ’s are configured using segments 20’x20’/6.1mx6.1m weighing less than 47ibs/21.5kg in square or rectangular configurations and size depending on helicopter type.
Product capabilities include:
- Full brownout elimination
- Reduces maintenance required by desert landings and take-offs by more than 90%, with a payback of less than four weeks of continual use
- Increases time over the target (TOT) of the fleet, which has a 30% ‘virtual’ increase effect
- Extremely lightweight (less than 600kg: 1,320lb complete HLZ) and only four cubic metres for a 5×5 HLZ suitable for Blackhawks, Supa Pumas, Tigers and Apaches
- Deployed and lifted in less than 60 minutes by eight trained personnel
- UV protection and rip-stop technology so any tear does not become larger
- Low cost compared to heavyweight LZ competitors
- LZ’s are available for immediate delivery
- NSN numbers: Green: 1560-01-555-9744; NSN NV: 1710-66-159-6472; Repair kit: 1710-66-159-6471
- Night vision (NV): capable of being seen with night vision goggles from 1km; no strobe lighting required, no mechanical failure possible
- LZ segments can be secured to the ground by lightweight pegs and self-tightening straps. Pegs only require a club hammer to insert in extremely hard ground
- There is no need for mechanical hammers which can fail due to polluted diesel mix, no diesel supplies and actual mechanical breakdown, which prevent other LZ’s from being deployed
LZ minimum sizes required to prevent brownout by segments consist of:
- Supa Puma: Caracal, H225, NH 90, Blackhawk UH-60, MI-17: Rotor diameter: 16.2m to 21.25m: 48ft to 69ft. LZ size: 5×5 segments: 30.5m x 30.5m: 100ft x 100ft
- Tiger HAP, Bell-412, Apache AH-64: Rotor Diameter: 13m to 14.63m: 43ft to 48ft. LZ size: 4×4 segments: 24.4m x 24.4m: 80ft x 80ft
- Chinook CH-47: Rotor Diameter: 30.18m: 99ft LZ size: 6×6 segments: 36.6m x 36.6m: 120ft x 120ft
About CGear
Established in 2003, Melbourne-based CGear Australia designs and manufactures multi-layered meshed nylon products for military and outdoor/recreational markets.
The company also provides recreational and outdoor products such as multimats that provide a clean and dust-free environment for camping sites, special events, and / or work areas, as well as for campers, and caravan and motor home owners.
CGear additionally offers military lightweight flooring products used for tent flooring, outdoor work areas, shade cloths, and screen applications.
