Washington, June 14: Navy aviators can now get relief by using a new flight suit fitted with an air-conditioning device. It will keep them cool in hot desert climes where their chemical suit gets very heated.

"In the mission areas we have been working in recently, in the Middle East, temperatures can get up to 100 to 125 degrees, and when you are in a closed cockpit, the temperature can go up even higher, it`s a hothouse effect," says Lt. Cmdr. David Street of the Office of Naval Research.



The device, called HAILSS (Helicopter Aircrew Integrated Life Support System), is a battery-operated unit that blows cooled air through the multiple layers of the aviator`s sealed chemical suit. It reduces the air temperature around the aviator`s body by about 10 degrees.



The cooling influence of HAILSS can be a lifesaver when the temperatures rise very high. Temperature around 140 degrees can damage the brain and cause disorientation.

This device works until the water supply runs out, which takes about two hours of continuous use. Lt. Cmdr. Ben Teich, who tested HAILSS in a flight simulator at Fort Ruker, Alabama, says that the team needs to improve the air distribution within the suit.


However, Street is confident that the design issues of the device will be ironed out and the HAILSS suit will be ready for pilots within two years. Bureau Report