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Chelton (Electrostatics) Ltd, a Cobham company, has been awarded a contract by Airbus to supply all antennas for the A380 super jumbo. The company will also be carrying out all the integration of the antennas. Contract value was not disclosed.
Alcoa Howmet Castings, the world's largest investment casting company and a unit of Alcoa Inc., has been awarded contracts by Honeywell International to develop seven components. These new castings will support Honeywell's Thermal Power Management System for the Joint Strike Fighter aircraft.According to Curtis Draper, Howmet's director of marketing, "The complex components specified in these orders are technically challenging and further demonstrate Honeywell's confidence in Howmet to support the development of critical hardware throughout the demonstrator program." In addition to the Honeywell order, Howmet has also been awarded sole-source contracts with Pratt and Whitney Aircraft for all six of the turbine airfoils in the JSF main engine.
Pratt & Whitney Canada's (P&WC) new PW980A auxiliary power unit has had its first engine run on June 9, 2003. The PW980A, the world's largest commercial APU and highest power member of the PW900 family, was designed specifically for the new generation Airbus A380 aircraft where it will fulfil both the pneumatic and electrical power demands for the aircraft. Together with Airbus, the PW980A is being designed and developed in close co-operation with Hamilton Sundstrand's Power Systems division (HSPS). HSPS is responsible for the design of the load gearbox, control system and accessories. As part of the integration and maturity at entry into service effort, the A380 tailcone and components, including the PW980A APU, will undergo both development/qualification and extensive compatibility testing at the HSPS facility in San Diego. PW980A certification is planned for March 2005, with entry into service set for 2006.
CMC Electronics Inc. and Westland Helicopters Limited are developing an overhead mounted Head-Up-Display (HUD) unit and associated mission avionics for rotary wing aircraft, further to signing an agreement last year. According to Westland officials, the programme involves the first ever installation of a HUD on a Westland built helicopter. The first flight qualified CMC Electronics HUD is being delivered to Westland for flight trials due to begin in September 2003 on a Super Lynx 300. Deliveries of production HUDs will start later this year.
Certification by the European Joint Airworthiness Authorities of the CFM56-5B acoustic upgrade package for the Airbus A321 is on schedule for September 2003, and the hardware will be available to customers by October of this year. CFM56-5B engines, which power the Airbus A318, A319, A320, and A321, are produced by CFM International (CFM), a 50/50 joint company between Snecma Moteurs of France and General Electric Company. CFM and Airbus defined the acoustic package to ensure this aircraft/engine combination will operate well within proposed limits.The upgrade kit, which includes a core chevron nozzle and improved reverser treatment in the nacelle, was designed to reduce noise levels to 10 EPNdB (effective perceived noise in decibels) below FAR 36 Stage 3 noise limits. During the Airbus flight test programme recently conducted on an A321, the upgraded propulsion system achieved design intent and, as a result, will meet, with significant margin, the new noise regulations taking effect January 1, 2006.
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