Ground support

Ground Support Heaters

Polartherm has manufactured portable oil fired heaters for over 30 years. The design and configuration of our military heaters is based on our know-how and accumulated experience. Given the set of Customer requirements, we modify and combine our proven components and systems to configurate a unit that satisfies those requirements. Mostly, we can use components directly from our commercial line and "package" those to make a customer-specific equipment.

Our biggest Military Customer is the United States Air Force.  Polartherm is the Prime Contractor for two of the most recent large heater contracts awarded by the USAF.  Over 6000 units have been delivered since 1999, with thousands more to come under the present Contracts. For operations in the USA, we have assembly, QA, shipping and office facilities in Indiana.  Spare part and warranty issues are delt with at our Indiana office, too (please see Contact information).

Our military design Shelter Heaters have found use outside the military community as well. They are widely used in heating temporary housing, field hospitals etc.. by international Humanitarian and catastrophy relief organizations.

Below, some of our current military equipment is presented.  According to Customer requirement, heaters can be tailored to meet the needs exactly.

New Generation Heater NGH-1

NSN 4520-01-482-8571

This heater is the US Air Force's AGE (Aerospace Ground Equipment) heater to replace a fleet of obsolete old equipment.  In a fierce international competition, Polartherm won the award.  The first deliveries took place in the year 2000.  Thousands of heaters are  in use on AFB's all over the world from Alaska to Antarctic. With very few warranty issues and a minimal spares parts need, the units have operated to full satisfaction of the users and maintainers around the world.  The yellow unit pictured above is one of a fleet of 30, used by the US National Science Foundation on their Antarctic McMurdo Research Station and on the South Pole itself.  These units were modified only slightly from the basic NGH to function in the Antarctic conditions. The NGH is now used by Air
Forces of several countries.

HDU-43

 NSN 4520-58-000-0441

The Contract for NGH expired in 2006.  The USAF, however, has an ongoing need for reliable heaters.  A new Contract was signed in 2009.  As a result of product development based on user and maintainer experience, some additional features were included in the design, perhaps most importantly a filtration system for the heated air.  The nomenclature of this evolution model is HDU-43.  Deliveries are ongoing.

For warranty and spare parts please contact NGH Retail in Valparaiso, Indiana (see Contact information).