Recently, a U.S. Navy pilot was rescued after ejecting from his aircraft near Key West, Florida. The pilot had been performing routine training 25 miles off the coast of Key West in a Northrop F-5 Tiger II aircraft when he ejected and went into the water.

Search and rescue crews responded and safely rescued the pilot. Two devices designed and developed by Conax Corporation decades ago may have helped to save the pilot’s life, and Conax Technologies continues to machine products used in these devices.

The Conax Aid-Pak automatic inflator, which has been approved for field service use and qualified by the U.S. Navy, automatically inflates the pilot’s life vest even if the wearer loses consciousness or is otherwise incapacitated.

The Seawars parachute release system is activated upon entry into seawater to separate the parachute from the wearer’s harness. If the parachute isn’t detached, it could drag the downed pilot across the water, or the wearer could become entangled in the shroud lines and be pulled under the water.

Conax Technologies is proud of our lineage in the development of these products, as well as our ongoing role in their production. And we thank the brave men and women in our armed forces who serve our country so honorably.