Simplex Aerospace announced today that it has purchased the intellectual property and rights to manufacture, the Fire Attackâ„¢ (Fire Attack is a registered trade mark of Simplex Aerospace) system for the Sikorsky Blackhawk Helicopter. The rights were purchased from Aero Union of Sacramento, California.

The new Simplex Aerospace Fire Attack â„¢ system, called the Firehawkâ„¢, holds 1,000 gallons of water with approximately 30 gallons of fire fighting foam. The system also features a retractable hover pump, a constant flow programmable door controller that continuously senses the level of fluid in the tank and controls the door opening to provide ideal flow rates.

“This helicopter is an excellent platform for this particular mission” says Mark Zimmerman, President and CEO of Simplex Aerospace. “This new Simplex product will advance Simplex’s goal of providing the industry a Fire Attack™ product for every fire fighting aircraft” he continued. According to Mr. Zimmerman, Simplex Aerospace will continue to develop and refine new Fire Attack™ products for the aviation industry, including modernization updates to the company’s new Firehawk™ tank.

The Aero Union system has been very well accepted by operators. The system has proven to be a well designed and effective in fighting wildland fires. Operators have reported that the system is dependable and safe. Well regarded Firehawk pilot, Lee Benson, stated that the system has been very successful at L.A. County Fire and that the retractable hover pump was a “great piece of technology”. He also commented that the constant flow door feature made the tank very effective in completing its mission. At approximately one pound per gallon of water, it is consistent with other Simplex tanks in terms of efficient use of weight.

Founded in 1946, Simplex ( www.simplexmfg.com ) has built a reputation as the leader in design, manufacturing, and certification of aerial application systems and mission equipment for helicopters. Simplex maintains its industry leadership by incorporating the latest technology in design and manufacturing systems from high-strength, low-weight composite materials to produce reliable and cost-effective systems for firefighting, agriculture, utilities maintenance and other aerial applications.