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CommInnovations was incorporated in November 1994 with objective is to provide
customized communication equipment and solutions to our customers in the aviation market.
The target customer base was helicopter operators in law enforcement, border patrol, firefighting
& emergency medical communities. Our first product was switch & cable assemblies, introducedCIX2006
in 1995. The switch and cables are used interface the aircrewman’s headset with the aircraft
intercom & radios.A typical unit has a slide switch to key the intercom, a PTT to key aircraf tradios & a volume control
 
. The cable to the aircraft can be coil or straight & length as specified
by the customer The product featured ergonomically designed switch case & the enhanced
ruggedness by using over-molded strain reliefs at the known weak points of previous designs.
These improved features of switch and cables were readily received in the targeted markets &
today the company enjoys the lead market position in the US & has a significant share of the
global market for this product. CommInnovations has two domestic distributors,one in
Europe and one in the Aisa Pacific Rim.
CommInnovations also has a network of OEM’s (Original equipment Manufacturers) &
dealers worldwide. This lead position has not deterred the company from improving the product.
The design has been modularized using components terminated in miniature connections. This
improvement permits the user to make solderless repairs & reconfigurations. Reconfigurations
are common in the industry. When a helicopter operator leases his aircraft one year to the US
Forest but the next year the same aircraft may be used in law enforcement or EMS where the
user has different mission requirements. CommInnovations has also adapted its products for useColumbus 07 web
with active noise reduction (ANR) headsets common in aviation today.
CommInnovations has developed a reputation as problem solvers, which has led to an expansion
of its line of aviation communications products to include devices such as adapter cables,
impedance adapters & interfaces cell phone and portable radios. Impedance adapters permit the
use of headsets designed for use with one type intercom system to be used with an otherwise
non-compatible intercom system. This is common since civilian & military intercom systems are
built using different standards. The connectors used in commercial aircraft, general aviation &
helicopters are all different from one another. US & European standards for military intercom
systems are also different from one another.
All of the products are assembled and tested on-site, with outsourced sub-assemblies and
components selected from potential vendors for quality, economy and customer service. Fast turn
around times has been a key to CommInnovations’ success & so vendors are chosen that can
respond quickly. Local vendors are always used where possible. The parts being produced in

UH60

short run, small quantity and customized for customer specific applications.
CommInnovations did not start out with the intention of being a supplier to the military. But
military applications have become a large part of our annual sales. In 1996, E-Systems was under
contact to the US Army to develop a seating & multi-place intercom system for the UH-60 Black
Hawk that could be installed when passengers were being transported & easily removed
afterwards. The UH-60 Black Hawk is a four-bladed, twin-engine, medium-lift utility
helicopter manufactured by Sikorsky. E-Systems had selected an intercom that met the US
Army’s requirements but it was civilian impedance & was not compatible with the army’s
aviation headsets & helmets. E-Systems requested that CommInnovations integrate our
impedance matching technology into a switch and cable. This system is currently in wide use in
the US Army especially in Iraq & Afghanistan.
The Lockheed Martin C-130J "Super" Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport
aircraft. The C-130J is a comprehensive update of the venerable Lockheed C-130 Hercules, with
new engines, flight deck, and other systems. When the RAF purchased the C-130J they wanted a
single cable that was compatible with three different style headsets all using different connectors
& build standards. In 1997, Lockheed Martin contracted CommInnovations to develop special

uscg c 27j impression

cable assembly to meet these multiple uses. Because of the high EMI (electromagnetic
interference), rigorous requirements were imposed by the RAF. Due to CommInnovations’
success in developing this cable, additional requirements for cables to be used with emergency
oxygen masks & an interconnect station for use ground crew personnel were added to the
contract.
The success of the cables built for the RAF C-130J has led to additional business. The Alenia
(Italian aircraft manufacturer) C-27J Spartan is a medium-sized military transport aircraft. The
C-27J has also been ordered by the militaries of Italy, Greece, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Mexico,
Morocco, and Romania as well as the US military. Italy received its first C-27J in October 
2006. The Italian Air Force deployed two C-27Js to Afghanistan from 12 September 2008 to 27
January 2009 in support of NATO airlift operations.
The U.S. Air Force performed the C-27J's first combat deployment in Summer 2011.[28] In
August 2011, two C-27Js flown by Air National Guard aircrews, augmented with Army
National Guard personnel, began operations at Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan.
On 26 January 2012, the Department of Defense announced plans to retire all 38 USAF C-27Js.
U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) acquired seven of the C-27Js to replace its CASA
212 training aircraft and the 14 remaining C-27Js were transferred to the Coast Guard with the

CH 53K King Stallion helicopter at the 2018 Berlin Air Show

first HC-27J delivered in Coast Guard colors in April 2016. CommInnovations is currently
providing cables to support these aircraft.
60 helicopter, This system allows direct communications between the battle field commander
When the US Army developed a satellite command & control communications system for UH-
with Centcom (Central Commnd) in the Tampa. CommInnovations was selected to provide the
cable assemblies. The previously developed cable for use in high EMI environments proved
equally applicable in this application. The US Army was kind enough to give us a picture of then
presidential candidate Barrack Obama & General Petreaus using our equipment on a flight over Iraq.
 
CommInnovations is supplying switch & cable assemblies for the U.K. airborne ASW role in its
AgustaWestland Merlin helicopter fleet, which is currently undergone a major upgrade and the
AW159 Lynx Wildcat (an improved version of the Super Lynx) military helicopter serving in
the battlefield utility, search and rescue and anti-surface warfare roles.
The Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion is a large, heavy-lift cargo helicopter currently being
developed by Sikorsky Aircraft for the United States Marine Corps (USMC). It will be the
largest and heaviest helicopter in the U.S. military. The CH-53K is a general redesign of the CH-

300px Bell V 280 Valor high speed cruise demo 2019 Alliance Air Show

53E. The USMC plans to receive 200 helicopters at a total cost of $25 billion.
Sikorsky’s specification for the cable used in the CH-53K are extremely rigorous. The heavy
duty cable uses a proprietary dual shielding to insure very low susceptibilty to EMI
(electromagnet interference) and very high TEMPEST capability to shield the cable against
spying. CommInnovations provided cables used in pre-production testing in the fall of 2016. The
CH-57K was approved for production in April 2017.
The Bell V-280 Valor is a third-generation tilt-rotor aircraft being developed by Bell Helicopter
and Lockheed Martin[1] for the United States Army's Future Vertical Lift (FVL) program.
CommInnovations has provided cables to Bell to support ongoing flight tests.
RELM Wireless Corporation has totaling approximately $1.5 million dollars from the U.S.
Forest Service (USFS) for RELM's KNG-Series Digital P-25 portable and mobile radios.
CommInnovations has been selected to provide the flight helmet intefaces for these radios.
 
When CommInnovations first began operations it operated out of a desk at Astrocom Electronics
in Colliersville using a borrowed laptop computer. All manufacturing was subcontracted to
Astrocom. As the business grew, CommInnovations eventually leased space from Astrocom &
hired its own office & assembly workers. But by 2002 CommInnovations needed more space &
Astrocom was expanding its operations. so it was mutually agreed that CommInnovations should
move.

radio

CommInnovations is now located on Pony Farm Road in Oneonta. The company occupies
10,000 sq ft & operates four business units. It addition to aviation communications
manufacturing, CommInnovations also operates the Village Printer, Oneonta UHaul & American
Storage Systems.

 

 

 

 

 

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About CommInnovations

 

CommInnovations was incorporated in November 1994 with objective is to provide
customized communication equipment and solutions to our customers in the aviation market.
The target customer base was helicopter operators in law enforcement, border patrol, firefighting
& emergency medical communities. Our first product was switch & cable assemblies, introduced
in 1995. The switch and cables are used interface the aircrewman’s headset with the aircraft
intercom & radios.A typical unit has a slide switch to key the intercom, a PTT to key aircraf tradios & a volume control
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Comm InnovationsMaps-icon-big

330 Pony Farm Road
Suite #5
Oneonta, NY 13820

Toll Free: 800.434.0845
Phone: 607.432-0845
Fax: 607.433-1537