St. Louis, MO, May 12, 2006 – Aerospace Filtration Systems, Inc. (AFS) has been competitively selected by Bell Helicopter Textron Inc. to provide a fully integrated high-performance inlet barrier filter (IBF) system for the new Bell 429 helicopter as part of the FAA Type Certified (TC) design.

“OEMs want to offer the best possible engine protection on new build aircraft, and AFS filters are the logical choice,” said Michael Scimone, president of AFS. “We are setting a new standard in the rotorcraft industry with factory available integrated barrier filter options.”

The Bell 429 will introduce breakthrough technology in many categories, so it’s natural that it also includes a high-performance IBF. The old paradigm of utilizing less efficient inertial separators for low airflow applications is being replaced with high-performance filters. AFS technology delivers the best protection with the lowest performance loss, and at a lower weight when integrated into the initial design.

“AFS is honored to be a part of the Bell 429 supplier team and looks forward to meeting the challenges of certifying a brand new aircraft design with a fully integrated barrier filter,” Scimone said. “Privately funded filter development technologies in the areas of separation efficiency, performance analysis, and icing research testing will allow the 429 to benefit with a best-in-class barrier filter design.”

AFS was also recently selected by Bell Helicopter to equip its 417 and Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter (ARH) with the AFS IBF system and also by AgustaWestland to develop a filter system for the A119 Koala. AFS also produces certified commercial filtration systems for the Bell 206B, Bell 407, Bell 206L-3/4, Bell 206L-1/C30 and MD 369 (MD 500H/D/E/F Series). AFS military systems are available for the Bell OH-58D Kiowa Warrior, Bell UH-1H Huey, Bell OH-58A/C, Boeing AH/MH-6J/M Little Bird, Sikorsky UH-60 BLACK HAWK main engine and APU, Boeing AH-64 Apache APU, and Boeing CH-47 Chinook APU.

The Bell 429 program also benefits from a new teaming arrangement between AFS and Donaldson Company, Inc. (NYSE:DCI) to develop an advanced Bell 429 filter. The companies are working together to ultimately introduce Donaldson’s dry media filter technology on multiple rotary wing platforms. The dry media simplifies service with the use of compressed air or an environmentally friendly cleaning solution and water, eliminating the time and attention required to dry and re-oil filters.

AFS and Donaldson barrier filtration systems have been proven to filter out more than 99 percent of dirt and sand. Barrier filter systems actually enhance engine performance when compared to traditional particle separators, deliver more engine temperature margin (thus more load carrying capacity), and provide a greater margin of safety. Other benefits include reduced operating and overhaul costs and reduced engine operating temperatures for increased engine life.

About Aerospace Filtrations Systems, Inc.
AFS is the rotorcraft industry leader in the design, development and manufacture of high-performance engine IBF systems for commercial and military rotorcraft propulsion systems. AFS is ISO 9001:2000 and AS9100:2004 Rev. B certified, FAA PMA approved, and a U.S. military approved manufacturer. Since its inception, AFS has delivered more than 1,500 aerospace quality systems and 13,000 filters to military and commercial customers worldwide for main engine inlets and Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) inlets.

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For more information, contact:

Aerospace Filtration Systems, Inc.
Jay Foster
Sales and Marketing Manager
(636) 300-5050
foster@afsfilters.com