The need is critical for our National Guard to have a high speed, high capacity and short-haul personnel, insertion, extraction and recovery hoist system.

With today’s challenges this is even more apparent. Over the past decade with catastrophic events like hurricane Katrina, Josephine, Bonnie, Irene, Floyd, George, Dennis, and Isaac just to name a few which created massive flooding, destruction and many lives. However, many of those lives may have been prevented with a sufficient personnel recovery hoist system.

Currently the National Guard hoist inventory consists of conventional single lift recovery systems, SPIES Insertion and Extraction Systems, and large, heavy, bulky rescue baskets. These types of systems offer lift for one person at a time, or several individuals hanging on a rope. Both are risky, dangerous, time consuming and a resource drain for the National Guard.

The need for a revolutionary portable hoist system for helicopters which increases efficiency and provides safety, high speed deployment, high capacity for recovery, insertion and extraction of personnel, equipment or cargo is a must for our Homeland recovery efforts.

The need for a system designed to carry 10 fully equipped personnel or cargo or a combination of both while suspended from a helicopter cargo hook with a maximum allowable weight is NTE 3,300 lbs. This system will greatly increase mission success with less time on target, less exposure, less risk of injuries and a major cost saving to the National Guard. The need for a high speed, high capacity and short-haul personnel, insertion, extraction and recovery hoist system., that does not need a group of experienced personnel as with current operation system, therefore allowing missions like Search and Rescue (SAR) where civilian lives may be at stake as in the Katrina incident.

There needs to be a system that require very little pilot/crewman training as most all pilots have already been qualified to perform short-haul mission with personnel or cargo.

The need for a system that can be used for day, night and water operations. There is a system which is currently being used by local authorities, international authorities and US Army Special Operation Units which should be highly considered for use by the National Guard.

The National Guard Association of the United States urges Congress to appropriate sufficient funding to equip both the Army National Guard Aviation Units and Air National Guard Pararescue units to be fully equipped with a high capacity extraction, insertion, personnel recovery, equipment and cargo hoist system.