From the International Paris Air Show trade show floor in the United States Pavilion along with the state of Idaho delegation, Idaho Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter awarded Aviation Specialties Unlimited, (ASU) valued partner awards to Austria-based Helikopter Air Transport GmbH (HeliAir) and Paris, France-based LFE.

The Valued Partner Awards are given out by the State of Idaho in recognition of companies that play a vital role in the support or partnership with Idaho-based companies. Governor Otter said in presenting the awards that partnerships are key to establishing and maintaining access to international markets.  “These awards recognize the importance of collaborating with folks who know the local economy best in growing Idaho’s global exports,” he said.

“ASU continues to grow and expand in Europe and our partners HeliAir and LFE play a vital part in our continued growth in Europe,” said ASU President Jim Winkel. “Governor Otter is a strong supporter of not only our business but every Idaho business that is exporting products to Europe.  We appreciate him taking the time to recognize the partners that are helping ASU increase our international market presence.”

LFE serves French defense and government agencies with night vision equipment and components which includes U.S. manufactured kits. They are also a preferred source for designators, thermal systems, sights, and other equipment such as flight instruments and actuators. LFE and ASU co-developed an NVG component used by the French Combat Search and Rescue to save critical time in the location of downed aircrew for extraction and rescue.

“We are honored that Governor Otter would take the time to recognize the work we are doing with ASU in France,” said LFE General Manager Pascal Michotey. “ASU is a great partner with our company, and we look forward to continuing our work with them in France.”

Helikopter Air Transport GmbH is an aviation company specializing in helicopter maintenance, repair, overhaul and lease out with focus on EC135. Helikopter Air Transport GmbH is the main provider for HEMS operators in Austria, Hungary and the Czech Republic for maintenance, support, engineering and POA/DOA activities.

“We have partnered with ASU since 2014,” said HeliAir Technical Director Wolfgang Burger. “ASU has provided us with technical support, training and instruction on night vision goggle maintenance and repairs.  We perform a lot of search and rescue missions in the mountains and the increased safety of night vision goggles are a critical part of that operation.  By having a fully equipped Night Vision Goggle lab, coupled with the expertise of ASU’s team, we have been able to service our NVGs as well as other European NVG operators, reducing down time and ensuring that these vital missions are accomplished with maximum safety.”

ASU continues to champion the message of safety through the use of night vision systems throughout Europe.  They have worked with numerous operators on equipping, training, and maintaining night time operations using night vision goggles.  ASU plans to have a roundtable discussion at Helitech International conference in London and will be at the show in booth B30 this fall.