Aerospace Filtration Systems (AFS), the St. Louis manufacturer of inlet barrier filter (IBF) systems for turbine-engine helicopters, has received supplemental type certificates (STCs) from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for IBFs on the Bell 407, 206L-3 and 206L-4.

The approval clears the way for the AFS systems to be installed on helicopters operated in all European EASA-member nations including France, Germany, Italy, the UK, Spain and Sweden.

AFS representatives are at Heli-Expo Booth No. 1362 to explain how the company’s filtration systems installed on rotorcraft are giving their engines cleaner operation and better performance. Compared with helicopters using particle separators to clean incoming engine air, those equipped with IBF systems from AFS gain more useful load, greater engine temperature and safety margins, the company stated.

AFS filters remove more than 99 percent of dirt and sand particles from ingested air, directly contributing to the lessened engine wear. In addition, their use lowers operating and overhaul costs while reducing engine operating temperatures. The net result: increased engine life and greater operating reliability.

An industry leader in design, development and manufacture of IBF systems for high-performance engines in military and commercial applications, AFS has delivered more than 1,000 systems and 7,000 filters to operators worldwide. Its filter systems are flying on main engines and auxiliary power units aboard the Bell OH-58D Kiowa Warrior, 407 and 206L3/4; MD Helicopters’ AH/MH-6 Little Bird and MD 500; the Boeing CH-47 Chinook and AH-64 Apache; and the Sikorsky UH-60 Blackhawk. AFS expects to certify systems for the Bell 206B/OH-58 and 205/210/UH-1H series this year.

The company also offers custom IBF applications for unique vehicles such as unmanned aerial platforms.