TRW to provide Lockheed Martin JSF weapons bay door drive system

TRW and Northrop Grumman's Integrated Systems Sector signed a memorandum of agreement at the Farnborough 2000 Air Show for TRW Aeronautical Systems (Lucas Aerospace) to provide the weapons bay door drive system for The Lockheed Martin Team Joint Strike Fighter variant.

Internal weapons carriage is a feature of modern stealthy aircraft and the weapons bay door drive system is a key weapon-systems enabling technology. The weapons bay door drive system, which operates in an environment of supersonic and subsonic speeds, consists of hydraulic motors driving through a gearbox and torque shafts to rotary-geared actuators that open the weapons bay doors. There are two weapons bays per aircraft with two doors per bay.

With current market projections for the JSF expected to exceed 3,000 aircraft, the potential value of the award to TRW Aeronautical Systems, including prototype and production hardware, is expected to exceed $600 million over the life of the programme.

"This award capitalises on our strong rotary actuation system capability currently being used in civil and military aircraft flight controls all over the world," said Ken Maciver, Executive Vice President of TRW Inc.

Northrop Grumman, a principal member of the Lockheed Martin JSF team, is responsible for integration of the centre fuselage and weapons bay door drive system as part of its work share.

"We are pleased to have been selected following a detailed system maturation phase and a well-managed, extremely competitive award process," said Dave Goldney, TRW's Business Development Manager, Military Equipment.

TRW Aeronautical Systems is involved in the development of advanced systems and equipment for application on the JSF programme in the areas of engine actuation systems and associated controls, flight control actuation systems and controls, and power transmission systems.

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