Personal Safety and Rescue Equipment

Personal Safety and Rescue Equipment serves to provide a wide variety of base support and safety of flight items for warfighters with worldwide application that enhance warfighter performance, protection, and survivability. The program includes the Guardian Angel family of systems (FoS) formulated to execute Air Force Combat Search and Rescue and Personnel Recovery operations. It is employed by three distinct Air Force Specialties: Pararescue men (PJ), Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE), and Combat Rescue Officer (CRO). The program aims to procure equipment such as cargo & personnel parachute equipment, technical recovery equipment, information management systems, night vision and enhancement accessories, ground transportation, extended maritime open ocean boat & smaller boats for littoral, and training simulators to supplement, augment, and optimize current training events.

Additionally, the program supports the Special Warfare Acquisition Growth and Refresh (SWAGR) program for Special Tactics combat controllers, pararescue personnel, combat weather operators, and tactical air control parties to perform their Air Force Special Operations Command Mission. It procures training and simulators, assault zone tools, approach landing capability equipment, weather data collection and analysis tools, personnel and technical recovery equipment, medical equipment, guardian angel enhanced night vision system, unmanned capabilities, aerial insertion equipment, ground transportation and vehicular support equipment, and maritime rescue equipment. The funding request will also support potential Diminishing Manufacturer Source (DMS) and obsolescence solutions.

The program under PE 0408011F Human Systems Program Office Items Less than 5M saves Airmen's lives and improves aircrew performance through better aircrew flight equipment and airman combat systems. It procures safety and rescue equipment for increased protection of aircrew personnel operating manned non-space aircraft to optimize weapon system effectiveness throughout the full spectrum of military operations. Representative items include flight helmets, oxygen breathing equipment, flame resistant/retardant and blast/ballistic protective gear, laser eye protection, personnel locator beacons, nuclear flash blindness devices, personnel parachutes, ejection seats/equipment, night vision goggles, survival radios, associated test sets & Time Compliance Technical Order (TCTO) Kits and other air/ground crew equipment. The program also focuses on the Next-Gen Fixed Wing Helmet (NGFWH) to provide performance upgrades to the current HGU-55P helmet used by the fixed wing community across the USAF. Additionally it includes the Next Generation Ejection Seat (NGES) escape system which safely accommodates greater variation in aircrew minimum/maximum weights.

Overall these programs aim to ensure that critical safety and rescue equipment is procured to meet mission needs through initial procurement or technical refresh for the next generation assets for dismounted operators while addressing potential Diminishing Manufacturer Source (DMS) issues. Items procured during execution may change based on critical equipment needed to support current Air Force mission requirements. Funding for these efforts is contained in PEs 0207227F Guardian Angel FoS; 0207433F SWAGR; 0408011F Human Systems Program Office Items Less than 5M; 0503113F Next-Gen Fixed Wing Helmet; 0702833F Next Generation Ejection Seat.