Aviation | Press Release
SAFE Structure Designs Awarded Contract for Custom CH-47 Wraparound Maintenance Platforms for Minnesota Army National Guard
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- SAFE Structure Designs / PR Newswire (opens in a new tab)
S.A.F.E. Structure Designs (SAFE) has been awarded a contract to supply a full set of custom CH-47 Chinook wraparound maintenance and fall protection platforms for the Minnesota Army National Guard. Announced on October 21, 2026, the platforms incorporate modifications requested by the Guard’s own maintenance team to fit its specific aircraft maintenance requirements.
SAFE has supplied CH-47 support equipment (opens in a new tab) to the U.S. Army for more than a decade. This award builds on that experience, and on SAFE’s practice of adapting its equipment to the people, aircraft, and hangars it serves. It is part of the work of SAFE Aviation Systems, the division behind SAFE’s maintenance stands and hangar equipment.
Built Around the Minnesota Maintenance Team
The Minnesota Army National Guard maintenance team identified requirements specific to how it operates. SAFE worked those requests into the platform design, matching the equipment’s form, fit, and function to the team’s maintenance practices and to the hangar space it has available.
The wraparound platforms provide access all the way around the aircraft while keeping the equipment’s footprint compact. Easily movable sections let technicians position the platforms quickly and set up access for the job at hand, integrated fall protection supports technicians working at height, and the layout is designed for efficient movement around the aircraft’s maintenance areas.
“Customization is central to how we operate at SAFE. We don’t believe a maintenance team should have to settle for equipment that works just ‘OK.’ Our goal is to deliver equipment they consider great because it fits their aircraft, their workspace, and the way they perform their jobs. We have built and refined our business model around that commitment, including the ability to produce one-off solutions and incorporate customer-specific modifications without an additional customization charge.”
Custom Equipment Without a Customization Charge
SAFE pairs established product designs with the flexibility to meet individual customer requirements. Rather than treating a production configuration as fixed, the company works with the people who will use the equipment to find and build in the changes that make it a better fit for their operation, including one-off solutions and customer-specific modifications, with no added charge for the customization.
For the team in Minnesota, Buscema says, that meant listening closely and adapting SAFE’s CH-47 platforms to match: how quickly a platform can be moved into position, how much floor space it takes up, and how a technician reaches the area being serviced. It is the same collaborative design process SAFE brings to every program.
Supporting Army National Guard Aviation
The award continues SAFE’s support of Army National Guard aviation maintenance with custom equipment designed to help technicians work safely and efficiently. SAFE’s aviation support equipment includes helicopter maintenance stands, wraparound maintenance platforms, fall protection platforms, and custom aircraft component storage racks. See the full range of Boeing CH-47 and AH-64 maintenance platforms and SAFE’s custom aircraft maintenance platforms for other airframes.
