Trakka Systems halves the weight and power consumption of helicopter searchlights
Anthony Forester-Bennett, Trakka Systems, sheds light on the world of searchlights.
Trakka Systems’ TrakkaBeam helicopter searchlights are used by the police, military and paramilitary involved in search and rescue, as…
Anthony Forester-Bennett, Trakka Systems, sheds light on the world of searchlights.
Trakka Systems’ TrakkaBeam helicopter searchlights are used by the police, military and paramilitary involved in search and rescue, as well as for VIP transportation, medical evacuation roles and many more applications where well-lit travel is required at night.
Forester-Bennett claims Trakka Systems’ searchlight technology stands out in the market for a number of reasons.
Saving power and weight
“We use refraction instead of reflection,” he said. “With other helicopter searchlights, you would have a bulb and then a parabolic mirror and the light [is] reflected back parallel. Unfortunately, it hits the bulb again and scatters everywhere so the pattern of light in the beam is very confused and inconsistent. With us there’s a bulb, then a lens, then everything comes out clean and parallel. So it’s a very crisp and even beam.”
He added that Trakka Systems’ lights are around half the weight and power consumption of many competitors, consuming 800 watts compared to the typical 1,400-1,600 watts.
“On a helicopter, of course, the power budget is extremely important,” he said.
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