Absolute Fire Solutions (AFS) and Kawak Aviation Technologies (Kawak) announced today the co-development of a new bucket mounted powered fill solution for heavy helicopter operators.  The new product, called FAST Fill Hydraulic, provides operators with a high-volume, ultra-lightweight powered fill option weighing only 32 pounds, and uses the proven Kawak auxiliary hydraulic technology to provide pump power.  The FAST Fill Hydraulic mounts on a cam-lock style manifold inside the FAST Bucket, and provides fill rates between 1000 and 2200 gallons (3750-8250L) per minute, depending on the size of the intake manifold selected and the pump flow capacity.

“The development with AFS has helped Kawak to meet operator demands to adapt our technology for use in bucketing operations”, said Mike Reightley, Kawak President.  “Many of our current clients are using our hydraulic technology for tanked operations – now we can offer them another aerial fire suppression option for their installed auxiliary output, which takes advantage of their knowledge of our gear.   The installation and operation will be seamless for them.”  Steve Matthews, President of AFS adds, “With the gated base in every FAST Bucket, the Kawak pump can be mounted internally using our common FAST Fill manifold.  No modification to the FAST shell is required, and the pump can be installed and removed in less than five minutes, returning the FAST Bucket to its normal dip configuration when powered fill operations are no longer required.”

On a 700-gallon bucket for example, this lightweight system offers optimum fill rates in the 30-second range, and a total installed weight of 275 pounds for the gated FAST Bucket with the Kawak-driven FAST Fill Hydraulic.    “Our gated, shallow fill FAST bucket offers significant weight, power, and installation savings over similarly-equipped units”, said Matthews.  “This adds to our industry lightest DC and AC FAST Fill pumps, giving our heavy operators a truly portable solution for their current fire agency contracts and leaving them well-equipped for future trends in agency contracting”.

About Absolute:
Based in Calgary, Canada, Absolute Fire Solutions manufactures the patented FAST Bucket, the world’s first fire-fighting bucket to incorporate cockpit volume control and self-powered gated bucket operations as standard features.  The FAST line also includes a full range of accessories including foam and gel injection, powered fill, and FASTtrac event logging and SATcom interface.  In its fifth year of operation Absolute has clients in 20 countries operating the full range of fire suppression products. For more information about Absolute’s Fire Solutions, visit www.absolutefire.ca, or our distributor DART Helicopter Services, www.darthelicopterservices.com.

About Kawak:
Kawak Aviation Technologies, Inc. based in Bend Oregon, designs, certifies and manufactures auxiliary hydraulic systems and accessories for both fixed and rotor wing aircraft as well as consigns special engineering and certification projects for the aerospace industry.  STCs range from turbine engine installations to auxiliary hydraulic systems and accessories for helicopters and turbine airplanes.  For further information contact:  Kawak Aviation Technologies, Inc. 541.385.5051,  www.kawakaviation.com