- FPT Industries
FPT Industries was formed in
1939 as Fireproof Tanks Ltd (commonly known as FPT) [http://wck2.companieshouse.gov.uk/abcce2272d1c0fe0fd598099b40c78d9/compdetails] in the boardroom ofAirspeed Ltd atPortsmouth Airport in response to an Air Ministry requirement for the development and manufacture ofself-sealing fuel tanks for the impending war withGermany .The intention of the board of directors was to commence work on the manufacture of self-sealing fuel tanks for aircraft entering service with the Royal Air Force, the highest priority being the
Fairey Battle single enginedbomber which although obsolete was regarded as a front line bomber by theRoyal Air Force .The early tanks were of welded
aluminium structure with the sealing material applied as a composite layer on the outside. A major problem with welded aluminium tanks isweld decay andmetal fatigue in the seams due tovibration in service. In response to this, the company started to develop flexible fuel bladders in the early 1940s. One of the earliest examples of this was a composite flexible fuel bladder with self sealing coatings for theSupermarine Spitfire MkIX.Post war
During the war years and into the emerging
jet age, Fireproof Tanks Ltd developed new technologies inrubber formulation, moulding and sheet production in order to remain a leader in other specialist markets such as the creation ofhovercraft skirts. Working withSaunders Roe atCowes on theIsle of Wight , the company became so important to the hovercraft industry that the now renamed FPT Industries was bought by theBritish Hovercraft Corporation in1966 .Rationalisation of the aircraft industry
The British Hovercraft Corporation was bought out by
Westland Helicopters ofYeovil and a period of stability came as Westlands developed cutting edgecomposite material manufacture as part of their approach to advancedhelicopter design andhovercraft construction. This paid dividends with advances inrotor blade design such asBERP now seen on theWestland Lynx andEH101 helicopters .Post 1990 and the GKN buyout
In the 1990s, Westland Group were purchased by
GKN Plc who restructured the businesses before selling their shares in Westland Helicopters toAgusta ofItaly . Finding the advanced composite business that Westlands had developed attractive, GKN retained the other Westland companies and renamed them as GKN Aerospace.During this time, FPT Industries diversified again by developing advanced materials for helicopter
Emergency Flotation Systems (EFS) and now manufactures EFS equipment for many large commercial and military helicopter types.GKN Aerospace Services Ltd-FPT Industries, as the business is now known, still manufacture self sealing fuel tanks, and other fuel systems as well as helicopter EFS.
FPT Industries, together with Portsmouth Aviation and Hants & Sussex Aviation, are now all that remain of the once large aircraft manufacturing base at
Portsmouth Airport(UK) which built aircraft such as theAirspeed Oxford , theHorsa glider and theHawker Siddeley Trident .fpt industries
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