The RHAG commissioning ream at Camp Bastion – Mick Egan, left, and Tim Lucas, right, of Marshall Aerospace with Flight Lieutenant Nick Pound.

Cambridge-based Marshall Aerospace is helping to ensure safe landings for RAF jets at Camp Bastion in Afghanistan.

It has commissioned two rotary hydraulic arrestor gear (RHAG) systems following the opening of a new runway late last year.

RHAGs are fitted at all major RAF bases to slow down fast jets in the event of an emergency landing.

Two drum wound-belts tension a steel cable that spans the runway for landing aircraft to hook on to – at speeds of about 120 knots.

Each drum drives a shaft fitted with paddles and suspended in a fluid. It is the viscosity of the fluid that reacts against the cable when caught by a landing aircraft.

The commissioning work involved checking to ensure the RHAG installation work had been done correctly, adjusting the release mechanisms and ensuring the runway surface is suitable for an aircraft hook to capture the cable.

“We’re pleased to have performed this essential RHAG commissioning work for the RAF at Camp Bastion,” said Marshall Aerospace chief executive Steve Fitz-Gerald.