Dart Aerospace has recently acquired Portland, Oregon-based aerial firefighting mission equipment leader Simplex Aerospace, an aviation industry veteran serving thousands of operators and OEMs worldwide. Its reputation in the innovation, manufacturing and certification of aerial application systems has been built over a 73 year history of supplying designs, high quality craftmanship and customer support to its client base.

The newly combined entity, which will transition into operating under the Dart brand, will now have more than 320 employees in eight locations worldwide, including four manufacturing centres of excellence.

Dart's acquisition will also allow the Canadian-based mission equipment manufacturer to broaden and diversify its firefighting product portfolio. It will enable Dart to offer several exciting new product categories to its global network of OEMs and helicopter operators, including firefighting belly tanks, aerial cleaning supplies and agricultural spray systems.

“With the support of Simplex’s more than 200 international product certifications and its years of experience in the aerial firefighting sector, Dart will strengthen its global leadership position by providing helicopter mission equipment for offshore, firefighting and utility applications, as well as an increased portfolio alongside our current product offering of over 900 STCs,” states president and CEO Alain Madore.

“We are proud to be delivering the added value that Simplex’s products and capabilities will bring to the Dart brand,” adds Simplex president CEO Mark Zimmerman, who has led the company for 18 years. “Together, our unique STC portfolio and complementary product lines will enable us to achieve revenue synergies and expand our reach across the aerial firefighting sector worldwide.”

DART provides design, manufacturing and market-certified solutions for the helicopter and aerospace industry. With a line up of over 900 STCs, it offers a portfolio of mission equipment and related services, replacement parts and tooling for civil and military operators, all major rotorcraft OEMs, completion centers and MRO facilities. Key products include flotation systems, landing gears, interior and exterior accessories, cargo expansion, external loads, cable cutters and filters. All this, in addition to extensive engineering capabilities and manufacturing centers delivering fast time-to-market solutions in over 120 countries worldwide.

From aerial agricultural applications to today's most advanced aircraft fire-fighting equipment, Simplex Aerospace serves thousands of operators worldwide, specialising in multi-mission rapid on-off tank systems requiring minimum aircraft modifications. It introduced the first aluminium centrifugal pump designed for aerial applications in 1946 and today incorporates the latest technology in design and manufacturing systems from high strength, low weight composite materials to produce the highest performance and most cost effective airborne systems available.