Kaman Helicopters (Booth No. 2329) is reporting significant success applying Hontek erosion-protection blade coating to U.S. military helicopters in Iraq and Afghanistan and sees a wider market for civil oil and gas-producing operators, particularly in the North Sea and the Middle East. Kaman is an approved applicator of the three-stage, urethane-type coating, which the company says is proving itself superior to protective blade tape.
Mark Tattershall, director of marketing and business development for Kaman Helicopters, said that blade tape typically had to be replaced every 15 hours, but the Hontek coating typically lasts 50 to 100 hours before needing touch-up maintenance and that, when properly maintained, the coating lasts the life of the blade. The results for the U.S. Army helicopters in the Iraq/Afghanistan theater have been dramatic, Tattershall said. In 2008, the Army had to replace 53 taped blades due to erosion. Last year, using the Hontek system, that number fell to zero. Tattershall said the Hontek coating also had other advantages, including its ability to be initially applied and maintained without removing blades from the helicopter.
