AAR has announced today that the US Army has approved its Lightweight Multipurpose Shelter (LMS) manufactured by AAR’s Mobility Systems division. The product passed first article testing, a critical milestone in the production and delivery of the shelter systems.
LMS shelters are the primary platform the army uses to house and operate command and control equipment for situational awareness and tactical support in various theaters of operation.
"We are very pleased that our design and manufacturing processes for our LMS have been further tested and validated. This demonstrates our manufacturing innovation capability and our commitment to meet our customer’s requirements," states Lee Krantz, vice president/general manager of AAR Mobility Systems.
The US Army, via RDECOM Contracting Center, Natick Contracting Division, previously awarded AAR Mobility Systems a five-year IDIQ contract valued at $14m to manufacture three variations of the LMS. The LMS variants include the Type I (Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) shielded), Type III (EMI shielded with tunnel), and Type V (Non-EMI shielded with double rear doors).
AAR was awarded the competitively procured contract based upon its demonstrated experience, proven capabilities, and innovative ASTM-compliant design solution, which features a multi-panel design versus the traditional folded two-panel design, manufactured using advanced friction stir welding techniques.
Friction Stir Welding (FSW) enables metals to be bonded in their natural state, without melting or the use of studs, or fasteners. The result is a stronger, lighter weight shelter that is EMI capable, providing added value, isolation and protection for critical in-theater military and defense equipment.
AAR is the first US manufacturer of aerospace and defense products to use friction stir welding technology in the development and production of multipurpose mobility structures.
"Through this innovative manufacturing process, AAR improved the design and durability of these critical defense structures while meeting weight requirements," Krantz added.
"We believe friction stir welding is a breakthrough approach to building these shelters and represents the future in welding and lightweight design. It is another way AAR remains committed to leading innovation in the industry."
Through its Mobility Systems operating unit, AAR has built a reputation as a leading provider of mobility products to the government and defense industries. AAR Mobility Systems designs, manufactures, and supports a wide variety of rapid deployment equipment and air-mobile expeditionary systems.