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Simula is a safety technology company that supplies human safety and survivability systems to all branches of the U.S. military, major aerospace and defense contractors, international military forces, and consumer markets. Founded in 1975, Simula has provided ground vehicle armor and mine blast kits for military vehicles; personnel protective equipment, including military body armor, flotation devices, and parachutes; energy absorbing seating systems and lightweight armor for aircraft; inflatable restraints for military aircraft; and other protective equipment and technologies.
The Cockpit Air Bag System (CABS) is a supplemental restraint system that provides protection for pilot and copilot during survivable aircraft crashes by minimizing the crewmember motion and by providing forward and lateral protection from occupant head/upper torso strike hazards.
The Army CABS program represents the first effort to design, develop, qualify, and field an inflatable supplemental restraint system into military helicopter. In 1989, recognizing the potential for protection that may be afforded by an aircraft-mounted air bag system, the US Army Aviation Technology Directorate initiated the CABS program by awarding a Phase I SBIR contract to Simula Government Products, Inc. (now known as Simula, Inc., an Armor Holding Company) to investigate air bag technology for use in rotary wing aircraft. The Joint Development of CABS (JCABS) program with the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) conducted with the UH-60A/L Black Hawk as the technology demonstrator then served as the basis for all subsequent Phase III efforts including the UH-60A/L, the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior, and the detail integration and qualification effort.
The successful completion of SBIR Phase III integration/qualification efforts culminated in the Milestone Decision Authority's approval to proceed into the production and deployment phase and the production option contracts for UH-60A/L and OH-58D CABS were awarded to Simula in June 2001. After completing the initial production deliveries, Simula continues to deliver the UH-60A/L CABS and OH-58D CABS in accordance with the delivery orders issued under the SBIR Phase III Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity UH-60 CABS contract and the OH-58D CABS production option contract. The UH-60 CABS installation began in August 2002 and approximately 400 UH-60 aircraft have been equipped with CABS that provides supplemental restraint protection for pilots including those fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. DoD sales revenue from CABS has exceeded $42 million.
Larry Noble
Simula, Inc.
Armor Holdings Aerospace & Defense Group
7822 South 46th Street
Phoenix, Arizona 85044 USA
Phone: (602) 643-7290
