A new integrated helicopter distress beacon jointly developed by Eurocopter and Kannad has been recognised with the ‘High Technology’ award at an industry conference during the MEDEF Summer University in Paris.
The beacon, dubbed Integra, features an integrated antenna and GPS which sends out a crashed aircraft’s coordinates to search and rescue agencies.
“We are especially proud to receive this distinction, which recognises our innovation strategy and our technological leadership in the distress beacon market,” commented Jean Yves Courtois, CEO of the Orolia Group, Kanad’s parent company. “For Kannad, the partnership with Eurocopter allowed us to define the functional characteristics of the product to best meet the clients’ needs, and to test the product in real life conditions thanks to the technical methods and materials that Eurocopter has available. At the same time, we have benefited from an exclusive licence carrying the Eurocopter patent.”
“This improves the efficiency of search and rescue agencies in locating helicopters in difficulty or in emergency situations,” added Claudius Zwicker, Eurocopter’s senior vice president of avionics systems. “Thanks to this partnership, Eurocopter now has a new technology that provides the most reliable pinpointing of helicopters in critical situations.”
A new commercial team has been established to market Integra in North America.
