Sarbe is synonymous with search and rescue and personal locator beacons (PLBs) and the Signature Industries’ company is launching a new emergency locator transmitter (ELT) approved to Cospas-Sarsat standards. The new product was initially developed to support the requirements of a major export customer who had concerns about the crash survivability of existing ELTs carried in military rotary-wing aircraft.

One of the design criteria was for the equipment to have the capability of being quickly removed and used away from the aircraft as a PLB. While ELTs are fitted to aircraft to locate their position after a crash, the new Sarbe G2R-ELT is aimed specifically at the military market as multi-direction crash sensors automatically activate it after an incident involving a heavy impact on the aircraft.

The embedded GPS capability ensures the rapid acquisition of the exact location of the stricken aircraft and subsequent transmission of an emergency alert signal giving aircraft identity and location, external antennas mounted on the fuselage achieving acquisition and signal transmission. The new ELT is compatible with the combat search and rescue (CSAR) capability of the G2R PLB variant and is the first ever Cospas-Sarsat-approved ELT that can also be programmed for CSAR missions.

The G2R-ELT is suitable for retrofit or installation on new aircraft and is expected to appeal to military operators who increasingly demand a multi-role capability and mission flexibility from equipment specified.