Portable helipad lighting system unveiled

A new helipad lighting system has been unveiled that is designed primarily for rapid deployment and use by advancing military forces in temporary and emergency situations to provide marking at designated or ad-hoc helicopter landing areas and for tactical airborne and air drop operations. Manufactured by FEC Heliports Worldwide, the MIL-Star system comprises portable, battery-powered LED units. The company said that the lights allow fixed and rotary-wing aircraft to identify landing areas or drop zones at night at distances of up to 10 miles (16 km).

Each system is made up eight light units, with each one able to produce light at different intensities and wavelengths including a choice of visible colours and infrared. Controlled by pilots in-flight or users on the ground, they can be made to flash, and can also switch on automatically from dusk till dawn.