Trakka Corp, the Melbourne-based manufacturer of an advanced helicopter searchlight, had been awarded a significant contract to supply their searchlight directly to Eurocopter France which will ultimately see the Trakka searchlight offered as a Eurocopter Factory option.
Supply into Eurocopter, as opposed to supplying the third-party retrofit market, brings with it a requirement to satisfy the stringent and complex Eurocopter supplier quality and technical requirements.
Working in conjunction with Aeronautical Engineers Australia the AIA team guided development of the Trakka response to the Eurocopter safety and reliability requirements and assisted with the subsequent negotiations with the Eurocopter quality and safety engineering groups.
The AIA team was able to draw on its significant experience with both the European Aviation Safety Authority (EASA) requirements and the internal Eurocopter processes to ensure that Trakka meet their supplier requirements in the most cost-effective manner.
The task demonstrated that it was possible for a small Australian manufacturer to compete successfully at the highest levels in the worldwide aerospace market.
Trakka's success at getting their searchlight approved as Eurocopter factory optional equipment paves the way for significant future exports of this innovative product.