VIKING Life-Saving Equipment has secured its first orders for the VIKING Pentagon Star, a mass rescue device intended to enable the rapid recovery of large numbers of people from the water during maritime and aviation emergencies.
The company says the Pentagon Star was originally developed in response to a tender from a major coast guard, and is now being introduced to the market after securing additional orders from airports in Scandinavia.
Who the VIKING Pentagon Star is for
The Pentagon Star is aimed at government and professional users in the defense, search and rescue, and civil aviation sectors. It is designed for low-probability, high-consequence incidents including aircraft ditchings and passenger vessel accidents involving large numbers of people in the water.
How the system deploys and boards people
VIKING says the device can be deployed from helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft, and rescue vessels. Once released, it inflates to form a floating platform that supports boarding from all sides, which it says reduces boarding congestion and time in the water and can facilitate more efficient SAR operations and subsequent evacuation.
The platform is built around a dual-layer pentagonal design that creates 10 access points at sea level.
Capacity and deployment handling
VIKING says the inflated platform can accommodate up to 100 people through 10 access points. The company states the device weighs approximately 60 kilograms, packs into a compact valise, and can be handled and deployed by a single operator.
When inflated, the platform measures 7.38 meters by 6.96 meters. VIKING also positions the mass of the Pentagon Star against conventional SOLAS-compliant mass evacuation systems, which it says typically weigh around 330 kilograms.
From coast guard tender to airport contracts
VIKING won its initial coast guard tender following helicopter-based open-water testing, and has since secured its first commercial airport contract. The company says it has demonstrated the system to several European navies and is carrying out further testing to verify deployment from fixed-wing aircraft.
VIKING executive perspective
VIKINGs Senior Sales Manager Defence & Professional, Lasse Boesen, said the device is about getting people out of the water and noted its impact for people in distress in the water.