Wescom Group’s new personal locator beacon, sMRT SHIELD+ PLB, is the first on the Cospas-Sarsat 406 MHz rescue network to combine global distress alerting with localised recovery through two-way DSC.
Building on the expanded global reach and accuracy of the MEOSAR programme and Galileo Return Link Service (RLS), the sMRT SHIELD+ PLB combines the speed of localised rescue capabilities with the reach of the worldwide professional Search and Rescue system coordinated through the 406 MHz network.
The new facility provides nearby vessels with an additional distress alert and AIS location information and enables the user to receive an acknowledgement that their distress call has been received.
The soon to be available sMRT SHIELD+ PLB is one of a range of new products that Wescom Group, a leading global supplier of survival and safety solutions, has recently added to its established portfolio of SOLAS pyrotechnics, marine safety electronics and pharmaceutical solutions, including bespoke vessel medical requirements.
A new EPIRB is also on the cards with Wescom Group currently previewing the sMRT SHIELD + EPIRB, which offers the first fully compliant IMO MSC.471(101) beacon with integrated DSC, AIS, Infrared and Return Link Service (RLS). The SHIELD+ EPIRB will be available in early 2027.
