HAI Member Spotlight: KT-Shelter, Lappeenranta, Finland

Manufacturer offers easily assembled, portable hangars designed to withstand extreme climates and weather.

Lappeenranta, Finland–based KT-Shelter designs and manufactures patented, portable, high-quality sheltering systems that can also function as aircraft hangars. Designed in Finland, the shelters feature materials designed to withstand extreme climates and weather.

CEO Tommi Kasanen founded KT-Shelter in 2013. Since then, the company has worked to grow its domestic and international customer base, increasing revenue and profit in each year of business.

Easy to Assemble and Accessorize
With a curved frame design, KT-Shelter structures provide a large, unobstructed internal area with no need for internal roof support. The shelters can be assembled in as little as 24 hours from the ground up without the use of machinery, cranes, or ground support and are shipped in containers that include everything needed for assembly.

A variety of accessories is available, including insulation, heating and cooling systems, camouflage, ballistic armor plating, stealth protection, an internal service crane, and a hangar door.

Weather Resistant and Adaptable
KT-Shelter has tested its hangars in desert climates and extreme cold, exposing them to winds up to 118 mph (53 m/s) and temperatures of 50°C to -50°C. With regular, five-year maintenance service intervals, the structures can be used for more than 30 years.

The semicircular shelters come in six sizes, ranging from 6.5 ft. (2 m) high and wide to 36 ft. (11 m) high and 69 ft. (21 m) wide. The units can be connected together to achieve a total length of 123 ft. (37.5 m) and can be equipped with a second level.

KT-Shelter offers leasing options that include logistics, assembly, disassembly, and maintenance services. Additionally, the company can work with customers to design a system that meets their specific needs and assist with permitting.

Mission-Specific Customization
KT-Shelter products can be found around the world in use by military, civilian, and humanitarian operators. One such operator requested a full-scale base for helicopter operations, search-and-rescue (SAR) missions, pilot training facilities, and helicopter maintenance that could accommodate aircraft, equipment, and up to 100 staff members and students. The base also had to be able to withstand temperatures ranging from -30˚C to 20˚C with high winds.

KT-Shelter designed the multifunctional base and delivered it in 17 containers that carried a prefabricated building and three large-scale (20 m wide by 8 m high) shelters. The base was built on-site in 30 working days by a local crew with the support of KT-Shelter’s team, who trained the builders and oversaw the construction process.