U.S. Army Special Ops Training Test LSI's HARD-20
June 21, 2022
Joint Base Lewis-McCord
On Tuesday June, 21, 2022, elements of the U.S. Army Special Operations Aviation Command (USASOAC) conducted a live overwater training event at Joint Base Lewis-McCord (JBLM). USASOAC utilizes LSI’s HARD-20 system during any overwater mission. The HARD-20 is a unique 20-Man life raft system, designed to give total protection of an on-board life raft, for either self-survival or rescue purposes. The concept was initially designed by LSI in conjunction with USASOAC for use on MH-47 Chinook configurations, and has been in use for over 15 years. LSI was tasked by USASOAC to design a system for use in the most demanding environment without interfering with critical overwater operations – resulting in the HARD-20; a life raft system so unique yet simple in design, featuring a rugged hard shell canister, vacuum packed 20-Man life raft, single-point release harness, multiple deployment modes, easily transportable, minimal to no maintenance and 3 year service cycle. The HARD system significantly increases the survivability of the aircrew, adds mass casualty rescue capability as well as provides significant return on initial investment with the added protection to the raft, decreased maintenance, and increased Service Life. Since the initial design and fielding efforts, the HARD-20 system has been upgraded to include either the legacy LRU-15 raft or the new MPLR-20 raft. Additionally, the HARD-20 can be easily modified to suit a variety of airframe environments, either helicopter or fixed-wing requiring multi-place life rafts to conduct overwater flight operations.
On this day, USASOAC tested the HARD-20 Liferaft System using the Static Line method of deployment by airdropping the HARD-20 into the water at an altitude of 10 feet and forward airspeed of 10 KIAS. In order to verify the ruggedness of the system, the HARD-20 selected for this live event had been used in the field for over 3 years, flown on numerous missions, and was due to be turned in for periodic service/inspection. The HARD-20 system performed flawlessly and the test proved the durability of the system, that multiple methods of deployment are available, and in a Manual deployment mode, that the system actually floats on its own prior to deployment/activation of the life raft.
LSI is proud to support the elite aircrew and support teams of USASOAC, who’s mission is to organize, equip, train, and employ Army special operations aviation forces worldwide in support of contingency missions and warfighting commanders. The professionalism and capabilities of Army special operations aviation are developed through a “train as you fight” mentality. This extensive, realistic training is the foundation of unit combat readiness.
Joint Base Lewis-McCord
On Tuesday June, 21, 2022, elements of the U.S. Army Special Operations Aviation Command (USASOAC) conducted a live overwater training event at Joint Base Lewis-McCord (JBLM). USASOAC utilizes LSI’s HARD-20 system during any overwater mission. The HARD-20 is a unique 20-Man life raft system, designed to give total protection of an on-board life raft, for either self-survival or rescue purposes. The concept was initially designed by LSI in conjunction with USASOAC for use on MH-47 Chinook configurations, and has been in use for over 15 years. LSI was tasked by USASOAC to design a system for use in the most demanding environment without interfering with critical overwater operations – resulting in the HARD-20; a life raft system so unique yet simple in design, featuring a rugged hard shell canister, vacuum packed 20-Man life raft, single-point release harness, multiple deployment modes, easily transportable, minimal to no maintenance and 3 year service cycle. The HARD system significantly increases the survivability of the aircrew, adds mass casualty rescue capability as well as provides significant return on initial investment with the added protection to the raft, decreased maintenance, and increased Service Life. Since the initial design and fielding efforts, the HARD-20 system has been upgraded to include either the legacy LRU-15 raft or the new MPLR-20 raft. Additionally, the HARD-20 can be easily modified to suit a variety of airframe environments, either helicopter or fixed-wing requiring multi-place life rafts to conduct overwater flight operations.
On this day, USASOAC tested the HARD-20 Liferaft System using the Static Line method of deployment by airdropping the HARD-20 into the water at an altitude of 10 feet and forward airspeed of 10 KIAS. In order to verify the ruggedness of the system, the HARD-20 selected for this live event had been used in the field for over 3 years, flown on numerous missions, and was due to be turned in for periodic service/inspection. The HARD-20 system performed flawlessly and the test proved the durability of the system, that multiple methods of deployment are available, and in a Manual deployment mode, that the system actually floats on its own prior to deployment/activation of the life raft.
LSI is proud to support the elite aircrew and support teams of USASOAC, who’s mission is to organize, equip, train, and employ Army special operations aviation forces worldwide in support of contingency missions and warfighting commanders. The professionalism and capabilities of Army special operations aviation are developed through a “train as you fight” mentality. This extensive, realistic training is the foundation of unit combat readiness.
