ARK – Aerial Rescue Kit Marine Version

A hand-launched life saving system, capable of being deployed from a wide variety of aircraft utilising the aft ramp or side door

hand-launched, dropped up wind, inflation at sea level

The system delivers life rafts, complete with survival equipment inside, to survivors in the water.

Connected to each other with buoyant rope, two, three or four kits can be placed in a straightline pattern on the water surface.

Life saving equipment

The kits are dropped upwind of the survivors, allowing for natural drift and the interconnecting buoyant rope to provide maximum area coverage and easy survivor access.

The IrvinGQ ARK uses identical life saving kits and is very effective in accurately delivering life saving equipment to survivors. Each life raft remains inside its valise until it is immersed in the water. At this time the water activated device will inflate the life raft, detaching the drogue parachute and valise from the life raft to avoid possible entanglement of the survivors.

Each ARK Kit Contains
  • Parachute Assembly
  • Life Raft Assembly
  • Survival Kit Assembly
  • Rope Assembly
  • Valise Assembly
  • Static Line Assembly
Also available
  • Pilot and Despatch Crew
  • Training Systems
  • Arctic/Land Aerial Rescue Kits

Four kit drop

IrvinGQ ARK can place up to a maximum of four kits into the water. 

Each kit contains a life raft complete with survival equipment. A variety of life rafts and survival equipment can be adapted for this system allowing use of current, in-service equipment.

Survival Equipment Packed Inside of Life Raft

Ensures quick and easy access to life saving equipment such as blankets, water, first aid kit, flares, etc. (as specified by the customer).

Easy access means that exhausted and possibly injured survivors do not have to spend additional energy pulling and then lifting the equipment into the raft.

Inflation at Sea Level

After water immersion, inflation of the life raft and deployment of a fast acting sea anchor is automatic.

This is a major improvement over systems that inflate life rafts in the air, and are prone to being blown out of position. ARK descends to the water quickly and by the time the rafts inflate, the sea anchor is already deployed.

Typically systems are deployed within 50 ft of target.

Easy Access

The buoyant, connecting rope guides survivors to the nearest life raft, creating an important lifeline to safety especially in stormy conditions.

On Scene Configuration

The kits are identical, allowing them to be configured on scene to allow for a variety of raft separation patterns (e.g. 280 ft, 560 ft, a maximum spread of 1,100 ft can be obtained).

Training Available

A training system is available which replicates the operational system in size, weight, and form, allowing for practice drops to train new personnel and improve accuracy without actually using the life rafts, which require higher maintenance costs.

Training systems are of a different colour to eliminate chance of misuse.

Technical specifications
ARK Aerial Rescue Kit
Life Raft SeparationUp to 560 ft (2kits) (1100 ft, 4 kits)
Rate of Descent70 ft/sec
Deployment Speed/ Altitude130 – 150 kts / 300 – 500 ft MSL
Currently Qualified Aircraft130 – 150 kts / 300 – 500 ft MSL

Alternative options for deployment and containers are available:

G Container with 10 Person Life Raft

The Type G Mk 1 container

Designed for use in rotary and fixed wing aircraft.  When the life raft is required for use in an emergency, the container is removed from its stowage in the aircraft and carried to the exit ready to initiate operational deployment procedures, the system is manually activated and aimed at ditching situations or manually deployed SAR.

G Container fitted with life raft MS 10 Mk 1
Part NumberMRI GQ 1388 (Yellow)
Part NumberMRI GQ 1388/A (Green)
DimensionsLength 812 mm (32 in)
Width 370 mm (14.5 in)
Height 328 mm (13 in)
Weight 57 kg (126 lb)
NATO Stock Number4220-99-2160061
Part NumberMRI GQ 1848
Weight48 kg (106 lb)

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