Quick fix: helicopter needs repair? Grab the tape.

• Author: Williams, Robert H.
• Position: TECH TALK: A TIP-SHEET ON THE LATEST GADGETS

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3M Aerospace of St. Paul, Minn., is providing the U.S. military with two field maintenance packages--the Rotor Blade Protection Kit 8999K11 and Fuel Skin Repair Kit 8999K12. The specialized tapes are designed to "help repair and prevent erosion and return helicopters to service quickly," says a spokesman.

For rotor blades, 3M drew from its polyurethane protective tapes to develop a customized product to protect and repair damage from sand, rain, moisture ingression, ultraviolet light, insects and other causes. The tape offers an alternative to repainting...