Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (tokyo:6503) announced today that it has delivered the world’s first helicopter satellite communication system (HSA40) to Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency (FDMA) through the Tokyo branch of the company’s distributor, Seiryo Electric Company. The HSA40 system will begin operating in early April after airborne station is installed in helicopter of the Kyoto City Fire Department and base stations are installed in facilities both at the Kyoto City Fire Department in Kyoto and FDMA in Tokyo.

The system is expected to be used to gather information on disaster areas to support the rapid deployment of emergency-response measures. Currently, information is gathered with the so-called Heli-TV system, which transmits TV signals directly from a helicopter to a relay station on the ground. The conventional system can be prone to transmission disruptions due to mountains or buildings, and in many cases requires an operating relay station in the proximity of the disaster area.

Mitsubishi Electric’s HSA40 helicopter satellite communication system transmits video and voice data from the helicopter to a satellite, enabling real-time information such as aerial video to be transmitted reliably to base stations from anywhere in Japan.

About Mitsubishi Electric

With over 90 years of experience in providing reliable, high-quality products, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (tokyo:6503) is a recognized world leader in the manufacture, marketing and sales of electrical and electronic equipment used in information processing and communications, space development and satellite communications, consumer electronics, industrial technology, energy, transportation and building equipment. Embracing the spirit of its corporate statement, Changes for the Better, and its environmental statement, Eco Changes, Mitsubishi Electric endeavors to be a global, leading green company, enriching society with technology. The company recorded consolidated group sales of 3,639.4 billion yen (US$ 44.4 billion*) in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2012. For more information visit http://www.MitsubishiElectric.com *At an exchange rate of 82 yen to the US dollar, the rate given by the Tokyo Foreign Exchange Market on March 31, 2012