Tested rescue device described as 100‑person capacity and compact for air transport

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The statement is not 100% exact but close enough for a reasonable person (e.g., claimed 70% vs. actual 65%). Learn more in Methodology.

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Verify manufacturer specifications, S&T technical documents, or USCG inventory/test documentation that the device has a 100‑person capacity and the stated portability/weight characteristics (≈100 pounds, carried in a duffle‑like bag) and is rated for aircraft deployment.

Source summary
DHS Science and Technology Directorate (S&T), working with the U.S. Coast Guard and VIKING Life-Saving Equipment, conducted an open-water test in August 2025 of a portable mass-rescue flotation device at USCG Station Oregon Inlet, Nags Head, North Carolina. The roughly 100-pound device, designed to carry up to 100 people, was transported and deployed from an MH-60T helicopter, inflated on the water, and demonstrated rapid boarding and stability even under helicopter rotor wash. S&T says the technology aims to close a capability gap for large-scale rescues far from shore where surface vessels may be too slow to respond.
Latest fact check

The device tested is a VIKING mass-rescue "Pentagon Star" with a 100-person capacity and is designed to be compact and transportable; VIKING lists the packed weight as 60 kg (≈132 lb) and says it is packed in a valise/carry bag, which corroborates the device’s portability. The DHS article’s description that it “weighs about a 100 pounds” and was “carried in a large duffle‑like bag” is broadly correct about capacity and transportability but understates the packed weight (≈132 lb vs the article’s ~100 lb). Verdict: Close — capacity and transportability are accurate, but the stated weight is an approximate understatement compared with the manufacturer’s published packed weight.

Timeline

  1. Update · Feb 11, 2026, 12:36 AMClose
    The device tested is a VIKING mass-rescue "Pentagon Star" with a 100-person capacity and is designed to be compact and transportable; VIKING lists the packed weight as 60 kg (≈132 lb) and says it is packed in a valise/carry bag, which corroborates the device’s portability. The DHS article’s description that it “weighs about a 100 pounds” and was “carried in a large duffle‑like bag” is broadly correct about capacity and transportability but understates the packed weight (≈132 lb vs the article’s ~100 lb). Verdict: Close — capacity and transportability are accurate, but the stated weight is an approximate understatement compared with the manufacturer’s published packed weight.
  2. Original article · Feb 10, 2026

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