The Long Story....

BaseWest was founded in 1991 and began life as an FAA-approved provider of PMA or TSO authorized replacement battery packs for cabin crew flashlights and emergency locator beacons. By 1995 we had developed the first “round-wire” aircraft escape slide lighting system, and won our two first major aircraft programs  – A330 and 737NG. The 757 program followed in 1998.  In 1999 we introduced the first FAA-approved LED-based slide lighting system with the A320 program and began expanding our capabilities to include aircraft electrical cables and a range of specialized test equipment.  Since then, we have continued to lead our corner of the industry with advances in luminaire design that have resulted in lower weight and pack volume and new, patent-pending electronics that have significantly increased system reliability.

As LED technology became the choice for escape slide lighting systems, BaseWest developed the first of a series of regulated “smart” batteries to power these systems –  creating further reductions in weight and pack volume. In 2016 we received FAA approval to extend the service life of our “smart” batteries from five (5) to seven (7) years.  Since then we have developed a series of waterproof batteries to support off-wing escape slide systems.

Along the way we have been fortunate to have been selected as the sole-source supplier for virtually every new aircraft program awarded since 1996 including A320, A321neo, A330/340, A330neo, A350, A350-1000, A380, 737, 747-8, 757, 767, 777, 787 – and the regional jets including Embraer E1/E2, Airbus A220 (BD500), MRJ, COMAC C919, and ARJ-21.

BaseWest is a delegated-source supplier to both Collins Aerospace (Goodrich) and Safran (Air Cruisers) for their aircraft escape slide lighting requirements.  We are a Federal Aviation Administration production approval holder (PAH) and support airline operators worldwide with a range of PMA and TSO products authorized by the FAA.   Our aviation division is certified to AS-9100D and ISO9001:2015.

Our military products division supports a closely affiliated company with design and manufacture of a range of their military products including helmet-mounting lighting, lighting systems for free-fall and static line parachute operations, and active identification-friend-or-foe (IFF) systems.