US Air Force Selects LIFT Airborne Technologies to Develop New Aircrew Helmet

07/08/22

For Immediate Release
Los Angeles, California, USA – July 8th, 2022

The United States Air Force, through its Program Management Office, formally announced that LIFT Airborne Technologies through its LIFT Aviation division is the Final Winner of the multi-year Next Generation Fixed Wing-Helmet (NGFWH) Competition to continue with prototype development of a new helmet for Air Force fixed-wing aircrew.

It's with great pride that our Company has worked tirelessly on the Design, Development, Engineering and Testing throughout this project resulting in victory over all other competitors in this competition. LIFT Airborne Technologies is now the sole Contractor moving forward in the NGFWH project.

This project started in 2018 through the USAF AFWERX program (www.afwerx.com), which was implemented to increase competition, reduce time to delivery, encourage innovation, attract new technologies, and entice non-traditional / small business companies to work with the government through a streamlined process which mitigates barriers to entry for defense contracting. The AFWERX Helmet Challenge began with over 100 competitors from around the world that included the Who’s Who in the global Fixed Wing Flight Helmet market and other subject matter experts. In the end, LIFT Airborne’s Product Development Team demonstrated that our helmet was the most advanced, effective, and efficient solution to provide value for the airborne warfighter.

Jason Barnes, VP of Product Design for LIFT Airborne, commented: “We’re now moving forward with final development on the helmet along a pre-determined path, hand-in-hand with the USAF and their Engineering Team as well as their Contracting Team. We are now honored and humbled to finally be partnered with the USAF to refine the ultimate product after several years of competition.”

Over the course of development of the LIFT AV2.2 NGFWH we’ve already connected with many potential customers for this amazing helmet and we’re excited to further that engagement with any new partners, that like the USAF, are compelled to field the most advanced Fixed Wing Flight Helmet ever developed for their warfighters and commercial sectors. Our Business Development Team is ready to meet your specific needs and provide the world class responsiveness and quality that Lift is known for.

Guido Rietdyk, President and CEO of LIFT Airborne stated: “Our Company wouldn’t have had this much success if it wasn’t for the incredible work delivered day in, day out by our Engineering Staff, the USAF agencies and our numerous Technology Partners that made the vision of the NGFWH a reality both for us and our USAF Customer. We hereby want to thank both our Engineering Staff and our Technology Partners for their never-ending energy and drive to make it to this finish line today.”

A big word of thanks also for the entire team at the USAF Program Management Office for their years of dedicated work with us and our competition in arriving at this major decision. Working with the PMO team was a great experience and the good outcome is in many ways due to their expertise and advanced process which culminated in the ultimate helmet solution...our LIFT AV2.2 Next Generation Fixed Wing Helmet!

For more information please contact LIFT Airborne Technologies LLC as follows:
[email protected]
www.liftairborne.com

Media Contact
LIFT Airborne Technologies LLC
2130 E. Gladwick Street
Rancho Dominguez, CA 90220 USA
(310) 637-5000

Introducing the All-New Next Generation Fixed Wing Helmet from LIFT Airborne

11/03/21

Los Angeles, CA – LIFT Airborne Technologies LLC is the premier advanced technology expert in building of flight helmet systems and related componentry. LIFT Airborne is currently making huge progress in the development of our Next Generation Fixed Wing Helmet for the United States Air Force. Working with respected industry partners, LIFT Airborne helmet systems incorporate only the latest and most intelligent components that improve mission success in comfort and in style, while reducing inspection, maintenance and repair in time, money, and operational downtime. Our goal is to continually evolve each and every component and element of every product we build, such that we’re ALWAYS introducing the Next Generation of technology. 

Our experienced and quality focused management team has a simple motto which reads: CHOOSE BETTER. 

Innovation is at the heart of what we do. As a partner of the worldwide leaders of personal protective gear that include among others EVS Sports, LIFT Safety and LIFT Aviation, we’re accustomed to produce advanced gear that’s at the pinnacle of the industry standards. Our history of success has always been led by the forward-thinking ideas of our talented Product Design Team. Our award-winning engineers continue to be on the forefront of safety and production design. While many product advancements come from the knowledge we’ve gained through experience, much of our success can be attributed to the active partnerships we have with our sister brands EVS Sports, LIFT Safety, LIFT Aviation.

Great ideas drive innovation. That’s why our network of brands have been working together, collectively sharing knowledge and resources, and collaborating across a variety of projects. It’s this approach that helps bring new ideas, key technologies, and best practices from across several different industries, leading to more innovative products. Working together, we can combine our strengths to dream bigger, and build better. 

Click below to learn more about the next-generation features and benefits of the all new LIFT Airborne Fixed Wing Flight Helmet.

LEARN MORE

UPCOMING EVENTS

LIFT Airborne Technologies will be traveling the world, previewing the future of flight helmet technology. Come find us at the following: 

FIND US ONLINE

LIFT Airborne Technologies, LLC
2130 East Gladwick St.
Rancho Dominguez, California 90220

[email protected]
310.637.5000

LIFT Airborne has been chosen to further prototype the next U.S. Air Force Fixed Wing Flight Helmet.

08/23/21

With the Air Force beginning to  sphase out their current and dated fixed wing helmet, LIFT Aviation aims to build the most technologically advanced flight helmet to aid the Air Force in maintaining air combat superiority.

LIFT Aviation is pleased and honored to announce that after a grueling prototype competition that started over a year ago and with over 100 different contenders, we have been selected to further prototype the Next Generation Fixed Wing Helmet (NGFWH) for the U.S. Air Force in a milestone based funded Department of Defense, U.S. Air Force and Air Force Life Cycle Management program created to address technological improvements in cockpits of all airframes except for the F35 Lightning. Areas of improvement we’ve successfully addressed with this NGFWH include human factors such as stability, weight, comfort and overall fit. Technology integration of various systems like weapons guidance systems, target cueing systems, improved speech intelligibility, cockpit lighting and stability improvements have to all be considered with the design and development of this NGFWH. The overall performance in ejection and Search and Rescue scenarios are also areas where improvement over outdated current equipment are a necessity.

The AV1 KOR, the first flight helmet from LIFT Aviation, was created with the goal of bringing modern technology and innovation to the industry, something that was desperately needed; the need for this same technological advancement is seen in the U.S. Air Force fixed wing helmets being used today.

“We are honored to have been selected by the Department of Defense and the U.S. Air Force to be involved with this program. Innovation is something that has been lacking in the fixed wing helmet that the U.S. Air Force has implemented for the past number of decades and we are thrilled to have the opportunity to work with the USAF and DoD to continue to further prototype the NGFWH. The approach taken with our first flight helmet was to have it be modern, innovative and above all, safe. We can’t wait to bring that same approach while prototyping this NGFWH to provide our airmen and warfighters the best in flight helmet technology.” states Guido Rietdyk, President and CEO of LIFT Aviation. “The technological advances that we developed in our other businesses in personal safety products in the orthopedic and extreme sports industries under our EVS Sports brand, and in the industrial safety industry with our LIFT Safety brand, in addition to our LIFT Aviation flight focused brand, all have greatly contributed to us being able to draw innovation from a variety of applications and come up with state of the art technology in the cockpit, now working to make our USAF air crews equipped just as well as their air craft are.”

This research for this Other Transactional Authority (OTA) Agreement was, in part, funded by the U.S. Government. The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of the U.S. Government.

LIFT Airborne Technologies, LLC
2130 East Gladwick St.
Rancho Dominguez, California 90220

[email protected]
310.637.5000

Lift Airborne progresses in delivering theNext Generation of Fixed Wing Helmets

07/01/21

Innovation is at the heart of EVS SPORTS. Our history of successs has always been led by the forward-thinking ideas of our talented Product Design team. Our award-winning engineers continue to be on the forefront of safety and protection design. And while many product advancements have come from the knowledge we’ve gained through experience, much of our success can be attributed to the active partnerships we have with our sister brands LIFT Safety, LIFT Aviation, and LIFT Airborne.

Great ideas drive innovation. That’s why our network of brands have been working together, collectively sharing knowledge and resources, and collaborating across a variety of projects. It’s this approach that helps bring new ideas, key technologies, and best practices from across several different of industries, leading to more innovative products. Working together, we can combine our strengths to dream bigger, and build better.

That’s why EVS SPORTS is pleased to announce that its sister company, LIFT Airborne Technologies, is making huge progress in the development of their Next-Generation fixed Wing Helmet for the United States Air Force. Read below to learn about LIFT Airborne, and how they are working to provide the safest and most technologically advanced flight helmet for the brave men and women of the US Air Force.

If we’re trusted to protect some of the world’s greatest athletes, best pilots on the planet, and the United States Air Force, wouldn’t you trust us as your choice for protective gear?

Los Angeles, CA – In 2020 the United States Air Force awarded LIFT Airborne Technologies an OTA Agreement to design and develop their Next Generation Fixed Wing Helmet. Working directly with the US Air Force, LIFT Airborne designed, developed and is currently in extensive testing of a robust helmet system to meet the needs of today’s warfighters. With its innovative helmet design, and modernized configurations, LIFT Airborne will be able to provide a safer, more serviceable product, while better protecting the brave men and women of the United States Air Force.

LIFT Airborne’s next generation fixed wing helmet design incorporates a wide range of updated technologies. Active Noise Reduction (ANR) is a standard issue feature which improves speech intelligibility across a wide frequency spectrum, helping to protect crew members from stress and fatigue. The Aircrew Mounted Power Supply (AMPS) is an off-helmet unit, which reduces weight, and helps extend the life of the helmet through it’s rechargeable lithium-ion batteries (reducing battery waste). Additional features include Improved stability, a reduced helmet size to aid in better ‘mass properties’, a carbon fiber shell to reduce helmet weight and crew member neck strain, and a “custom fit system” to provide a more comfortable fit for male and female aircrew members. These features will make the helmet one of the most advanced, and aircrew-friendly helmets in the world.

LIFT Airborne is currently conducting a wide range of tests to meet Air Force quality standards, and align with key performance characteristics. The Air Force will be evaluating the helmet design by performing tests such as centrifuge, deceleration, audio and communications, and anthropometric testing. In addition, LIFT Airborne will also be performing a series third party lab testing, to ensure quality and consistency across all configurations. These include Environmental, Impact and Penetration testing, and linear displacement tests. All testing is being conducted on the Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS) configuration, the Night Vision Goggle (slick) configuration, as well as other helmet-mounted systems. 

“LIFT Airborne is combining its 30 years of successful personal protective gear research and development with the vast background of its in-house pilot trained staff that has literally tens of thousands of flight hours in fast jets and other aircraft to truly build a state-of-the-art Next Generation Fixed Wing Helmet the likes of which have truly never been seen.  It is unique in its wealth of innovative features, its ease of use for both aircrew as well as aircrew equipment maintainers, and its exceptional form factor that screams aggressive style, as opposed to the blob-shaped helmets of yore. Overall our team has exceeded many expectations and we’re excited to continue on this development path of refinement and quality execution of key performance parameters.” states Guido Rietdyk, the President and Chief Executive Officer of LIFT Airborne Technologies.

Says Jason Barnes, Vice President of Product Design: “I couldn’t be more proud of how my team has excelled in harnessing the varied benefits of many best-in-class technologies provided by industry leading component and technology partners on this project.  It’s no surprise that with this approach the end result is better than expected and we’ve managed to check the boxes on required features, but also added some things that we know pilots want, but weren’t necessarily on the requirements list.  There’s no doubt that our Next Generation Fixed Wing Helmet is truly that:  Next Generation.  Its modularity and simplicity of use in everyday mission configuration is allowing improved mission success and reduced logistical support.  We’ve managed to accelerate the seemingly stagnant design cycles in existing legacy helmet systems and boosted the overall look and feel of the helmet to a point where aircrew are proud to be wearing it.”

With locations around the country LIFT Airborne Technologies LLC is the premier advanced technology expert in building flight helmet systems and related componentry.  As an off-shoot of worldwide leaders of personal protective gear that include among others EVS Sports, LIFT Safety and LIFT Aviation, we’re accustomed to produce advanced gear that’s at the pinnacle of the industry standards.  LIFT Airborne helmet systems incorporate only the latest and most intelligent components that improve mission success in comfort and in style, while allowing reduced inspection, maintenance and repair investments in time, money, and operational downtime.  Our goal is to continually evolve each and every component and element of every product we build, such that we’re ALWAYS introducing the Next Generation of technology.  Our experienced and quality focused management team has a simple motto which reads: CHOOSE BETTER.

Media Contact
LIFT Airborne Technologies LLC
2130 E. Gladwick Street
Rancho Dominguez, CA 90220 USA
[email protected]
(310) 637-5000

Next Generation Fixed Wing Helmet

May, 12th 2021

Los Angeles, CA – In 2020 the United States Air Force awarded LIFT Airborne Technologies an OTA Agreement to design and develop their Next Generation Fixed Wing Helmet. Working directly with the US Air Force, LIFT Airborne designed, developed, and is currently in extensive testing of a robust helmet system to meet the needs of today’s warfighters. With its innovative helmet design and modernized configurations, LIFT Airborne will be able to provide a safer, more serviceable product, while better protecting the brave men and women of the United States Air Force.

LIFT Airborne’s next generation fixed wing helmet design incorporates a wide range of updated technologies. Active Noise Reduction (ANR) is a standard issue feature which improves speech intelligibility across a wide frequency spectrum, helping to protect crew members from stress and fatigue. The Aircrew Mounted Power Supply (AMPS) is an off-helmet unit, which reduces weight, and helps extend the life of the helmet through it’s rechargeable lithium-ion batteries (reducing battery waste). Additional features include Improved stability, a reduced helmet size to aid in better ‘mass properties’, a carbon fiber shell to reduce helmet weight and crew member neck strain, and a “custom fit system” to provide a more comfortable fit for male and female aircrew members. These features will make the helmet one of the most advanced, and aircrew-friendly helmets in the world.

LIFT Airborne is currently conducting a wide range of tests to meet Air Force quality standards, and align with key performance characteristics. The Air Force will be evaluating the helmet design by performing tests such as centrifuge, deceleration, audio and communications, and anthropometric testing. In addition, LIFT Airborne will also be performing a series third-party lab testing, to ensure quality and consistency across all configurations. These include Environmental, Impact and Penetration testing, and linear displacement tests. All testing is being conducted on the Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS) configuration, the Night Vision Goggle (slick) configuration, as well as other helmet-mounted systems. 

“LIFT Airborne is combining its 30 years of successful personal protective gear research and development with the vast background of its in-house pilot trained staff that has literally tens of thousands of flight hours in fast jets and other aircraft to truly build a state-of-the-art Next Generation Fixed Wing Helmet the likes of which have truly never been seen.  It is unique in its wealth of innovative features, its ease of use for both aircrew as well as aircrew equipment maintainers, and its exceptional form factor that screams aggressive style, as opposed to the blob-shaped helmets of yore. Overall our team has exceeded many expectations and we’re excited to continue on this development path of refinement and quality execution of key performance parameters.” states Guido Rietdyk, the President and Chief Executive Officer of LIFT Airborne Technologies.

Says Jason Barnes, Vice President of Product Design: “I couldn’t be more proud of how my team has excelled in harnessing the varied benefits of many best-in-class technologies provided by industry leading component and technology partners on this project.  It’s no surprise that with this approach the end result is better than expected and we’ve managed to check the boxes on required features, but also added some things that we know pilots want, but weren’t necessarily on the requirements list.  There’s no doubt that our Next Generation Fixed Wing Helmet is truly that:  Next Generation.  Its modularity and simplicity of use in everyday mission configuration is allowing improved mission success and reduced logistical support.  We’ve managed to accelerate the seemingly stagnant design cycles in existing legacy helmet systems and boosted the overall look and feel of the helmet to a point where aircrew are proud to be wearing it.”

With locations around the country LIFT Airborne Technologies LLC is the premier advanced technology expert in building flight helmet systems and related componentry.  As an off-shoot of worldwide leaders of personal protective gear that include among others EVS Sports, LIFT Safety and LIFT Aviation, we’re accustomed to produce advanced gear that’s at the pinnacle of the industry standards.  LIFT Airborne helmet systems incorporate only the latest and most intelligent components that improve mission success in comfort and in style, while allowing reduced inspection, maintenance and repair investments in time, money, and operational downtime.  Our goal is to continually evolve each and every component and element of every product we build, such that we’re ALWAYS introducing the Next Generation of technology.  Our experienced and quality-focused management team has a simple motto which reads: CHOOSE BETTER.

Media Contact
LIFT Airborne Technologies LLC
2130 E. Gladwick Street
Rancho Dominguez, CA 90220 USA
(310) 637-5000