Eclipse Aerospace announced it has earned FAA certification of a new canister for the PhostrEx fire suppression system used in the company’s EA500 twinjet. The canister stores the fire suppressant gas at a lower pressure. This eliminates the leakage problems associated with the Eclipse’s earlier fire bottles.
“The environmentally friendly PhostrEx system is nothing short of remarkable,” said Mason Holland, CEO and chairman of Eclipse Aerospace. “With its low weight, low cost, and maintenance-free design, PhostrEx will quickly become the Halon alternative of choice not only for aviation but for many other industry applications.”
PhostrEx was approved as a replacement for Halon by the Environmental Protection Agency. It’s the only fire suppressant that meets the ecological standards of the Montreal Protocol, according to Eclipse. The company also says that one Eclipse engine can be protected with an entire PhostrEx system weighing as little as 0.7 pounds. The system is designed to be maintenance-free for eight years, at which time owners replace the canisters. The new canisters are expected to be available for purchase beginning in August 2011.