Martin-Baker celebrates thousands of lives saved by its ejection seats
The company says it remains busy with orders despite a growing shift towards pilotless drones
A company with sites in Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire is celebrating a remarkable milestone after revealing its ejection seat technology has saved more than 7,800 lives.
Martin-Baker, which is headquartered in Denham and has a second site at Chalgrove near RAF Benson, says 7,825 pilots and aircrew have successfully ejected using its seats since 1949.
Speaking at the Farnborough International Airshow, Steve Roberts, Martin-Baker's Head of Business Development, said saving lives remains at the heart of everything the business does.
"It's all about people," he said. "We always say these are the products that we put our children on."
While the aerospace industry continues to evolve, Martin-Baker says demand for its products remains strong.
The business is keeping a close eye on developments in unmanned aircraft technology but says there is no immediate need to change direction.
"Our order books are healthy," Steve said. "We're always watching where the market goes, but right now the unmanned market is moving towards very rapidly developed, low-cost products, which isn't for us."
The company also runs its exclusive "Ejection Tie Club", bringing together pilots and crew whose lives have been saved after ejecting from aircraft fitted with Martin-Baker seats.
"They bring their parents, their children and later their grandchildren around because those grandchildren are only here because they've been saved," Steve said.
Martin-Baker supplies 106 air forces across 86 countries, with its equipment fitted to 63 different aircraft types worldwide.
Around 1,000 people work at the firm's Denham headquarters, where its ejection seats are designed, tested and manufactured.
A further 150 staff are based at Chalgrove, where explosive components are produced and live ejection seat testing takes place.
Although ejection seats account for around 95% of its work, Martin-Baker also produces crashworthy seats for helicopters and specialist aircraft.
These are designed to absorb impact energy during heavy landings, improving the chances of survival.
The Farnborough International Airshow provides an important opportunity to meet existing customers and potential new partners, including air forces and major aircraft manufacturers.
Despite Martin-Baker's global reputation, Steve said every new aircraft programme is fiercely competitive.
"People assume reputation gets you there, but we have to compete on every programme. It takes years to secure a new contract."
The business also relies on hundreds of suppliers, with around 70% of each ejection seat sourced from specialist manufacturers, predominantly in the UK.