3M Aerospace of St. Paul, Minn., is providing the U.S. military with two field maintenance packages — the Rotor Blade Protection Kit 8999K11 and Fuel Skin Repair Kit 8999K12. The specialized tapes are designed to “help repair and prevent erosion and return helicopters to service quickly,” says a spokesman.
For rotor blades, 3M drew from its polyurethane protective tapes to develop a customized product to protect and repair damage from sand, rain, moisture ingression, ultraviolet light, insects and other causes. The tape offers an alternative to repainting the blades and curbs sparking that keeps helicopters stealthy at night.
The fuel cell tape, meanwhile, is designed to repair torn fuel cell bladders and other non-load bearing surfaces. The patches bond quickly, which allows the aircraft to quickly return to service. The company says that the cell patches protect for up to 30 days or 100 flights hours.