New Orders Represent A 70 Percent Increase In Army Business

BRS Aerospace (Ballistic Recovery Systems, Inc.), a manufacturer of whole-aircraft emergency parachute systems, military cargo and personnel parachutes, and reflective safety products, announced Wednesday that it has been awarded an extra $2.75M in new orders (an increase of 72% over its initial order) by the US Army to manufacture additional “low velocity” cargo parachutes over an 18-month period.

Production for this contract will occur at the company’s North Carolina facility where at least 20 more employees will be hired to accommodate this increase. Combined with the original Low Velocity contract received in July, the Low V program will bring in more than $6.6M of revenue over the initial 18-24 month delivery period and more than 40 new jobs to the Pinebluff, NC region.

The Low Velocity parachute, made of lower cost woven polypropylene instead of traditionally used, but more expensive, ripstop nylon, is designed for humanitarian relief efforts and resupply missions where it is difficult to recover airdrop equipment or reach troops by ground convoy and from deployment altitudes of 500-1,200 AGL (above ground level). These parachutes are designed to be light, simple in design, and up to 80% less expensive than the standard parachutes and containers now used for these missions.

“We are very proud that the Army has recognized our capabilities and desire to provide quality defense articles in a timely manner, something we have been striving toward for some time now”, said BRS Aerospace CEO and President, Larry Williams. Norman Girdwood, General Manager of BRS Aerospace’s Pinebluff, North Carolina facility added, “This is the kind of problem I like having…hiring new people, scheduling new shifts, ensuring quality specs are met…all that is entailed in ramping up a successful product line”. Concluding, Girdwood commented, “I’ve known that we were at the cusp of being recognized as a strong partner with the Army… we’ve worked very hard as a corporation to make this happen. This additional award makes that a reality”.

FMI: www.BRSAerospace.com