Defense Holdings Now Providing Its AfterGlo® Photoluminescent (PL) Propeller Paint to U.S. and Foreign Military and Commercial Markets

Defense Holdings Now Providing Its AfterGlo® Photoluminescent (PL) Propeller Paint to U.S. and Foreign Military and Commercial Markets

Arlington, VA (February 26, 2009) — Defense Holdings, Inc® (DHi) announces that it is now providing its patented AfterGlo® photoluminescent (PL) safety paint

to the U.S. Navy, domestic propeller manufacturers, and several military services outside the U.S. The aerospace and automotive grade paint is applied to the tips of aircraft propeller blades, helicopter main and tail rotors, and other rotating objects to allow personnel to avoid injury or death from coming into contact with them in low light situations. The initial application of this paint was on the Navy’s E-2C carrier aircraft to help save the lives of men and women who must work at night in the vicinity of rapidly spinning propeller blades and rotors on carrier flight decks where inadvertent contact can have deadly results. The following un-retouched photos show how a propeller with its blade tips painted with DHi’s PL safety paint (seen as green ring) compares to a prop painted with traditional red and white safety marking paint (nearly invisible).

 

high performance photoluminescent propeller paint

 

Potentially distracted by noisy, high tempo flight operations, ground and flight personnel are inadvertently struck each year by propeller blades with inevitably tragic consequences. DHi’s solution combines a revolutionary, long-lasting, ultra-bright, non-radioactive PL material with the additional option of adding an equally effective retro-reflective material to dramatically improve propeller blade visibility under all lighting conditions. The application maximizes visibility, material adhesion, durability, wear resistance and ease of installation without compromising propeller aerodynamic performance or aircraft detection. In battlefield conditions, greater visibility of propeller and rotor blades to ground personnel will help improve personal safety. Since the wavelength of the emitted light is outside of the range of IR Night Vision Goggles, use of the paint does not interfere with aircrew visibility or make the aircraft more vulnerable to hostile visual detection.

The paint was developed under a Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) contract as part of the Navy’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. Under an exclusive agreement, DHi is having the propeller paint manufactured by Sherwin Williams Aerospace Coatings, Automotive Finishes Corporation. DHi sees the use of this paint and related AfterGlow® photoluminescent products expanding to other applications in commercial aviation and other industries as well. DHi’s AfterGlow® Safety Marking Products are available at the AfterGlow Direct Web Store. For authorized government buyers, this paint is also available through the GSA under NSN 8010-01-558-3002.

Rich Martin, DHi‘s President and CEO, states ”Defense Holding, Inc. received exceedingly positive feedback from the Fleet on our PL paint. The men and women who work around these aircraft feel much safer with our paint on the props. We hope to be able to help the Navy implement other shipboard safety applications such as using our photoluminescent SleeveLight™ to mark aircraft and vehicle tie-down chains and prevent injuries that can inevitably occur when people or equipment trip over or run into tie-downs in the dark. We are pleased to be able to contribute in even a small way to the protection of our nation’s warfighters and working men and women.”

DHi has pioneered the PL safety product market and is currently the largest installer of PL safety products in the United States. AfterGlow® PL Safety Products are installed throughout the Pentagon and in many other locations around the country. Our Emergency Egress Lighting™ products are presently being installed in all U.S. military services’ Mine-Resistant, Ambush-Protected (MRAP) vehicles and other of our products are installed on a number of US Navy and Coast Guard ships, and are being used extensively in the Navy’s newest aircraft carrier, the USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77).

Defense Holdings, Inc. (DHi), a service-disabled, veteran-owned, small business, is a technology leader specializing in the defense and homeland security markets. With headquarters in Arlington, VA, research facilities in Charlottesville, VA and production facilities in Trenton, NC, DHi works with Government agencies, universities and industry to put timely new technologies into the hands of those defending our country.