New APU digital electronics certified for use by U.S. Army ; A part of Hamilton Sundstrand's $1 billion military retrofit market
WINDSOR LOCKS, USA- North America, Connecticut, Apr 24, 2002
Hamilton Sundstrand Power Systems has received U.S. Army certification for its new Digital Electronic Sequence Unit (DESU), an easily maintainable, highly reliable controller for Hamilton Sundstrand-built Auxiliary Power Units (APUs) currently in service on U.S. military aircraft.
The certification approves this new digital control as a direct replacement for an analog control used on nearly 3,000 helicopters, including more than 2,000 on the H-60 Black Hawk. When commercial aircraft applications are considered, the market potential for the DESU is estimated to exceed $40 million over the next eight to 10 years.
“This new digital control replaces a unit that was designed in the 1960s,” explains Tim Morris, vice president of Hamilton Sundstrand Power Systems, located in San Diego, Calif. “It has self-diagnostics, uses infrared technology to allow it to interface with laptop computers and weighs about 50 percent less than the unit it replaces. It is a significant improvement.”
DESU software is based on state-of-the-art concepts developed for new commercial full authority digital engine controls. Its reduced mechanical complexity means higher reliability, and a modular design allows for further capability growth.
In addition to the Army Black Hawk and U.S. Navy Seahawk versions of the H-60, the new DESU has application on APUs on the H-47 Chinook and upgraded versions of the AH-1 and UH-1. Hamilton Sundstrand Power Systems has 33 orders for DESU deliveries before September with pending orders for an additional 63 units this year.
This digital electronic control for APUs is one of many retrofit opportunities across the entire range of Hamilton Sundstrand systems and components for military aircraft.
“Being on the leading edge of technology enables us to improve the performance of an aircraft through ‘value maintenance’ products and services,” explains Jim Peterson, vice president and general manager of Customer Service for Hamilton Sundstrand. “Newer systems have enhanced diagnostics that maintenance personnel find user friendly. This will enhance mission execution while lowering the program’s life-cycle costs.
“The E-2C and F-16 aircraft serve dramatically different roles for the Navy and Air Force, but both are great examples of how airframes designed many years ago have incorporated modern systems to prolong their life span and improve productivity associated with maintaining the aircraft,” he added.
Modernization of aircraft systems on military aircraft is potentially worth$1 billion to Hamilton Sundstrand through 2010. Opportunities include the DESU and automatic flight control computers for the Army’s Black Hawk helicopters, the company’s NP2000 propeller on the Navy’s E-2C, and upgrades to the electronics on both the GE F110 and Pratt & Whitney F100 engines for the U.S. Air Force F-16 fighter.
Hamilton Sundstrand, The Aerospace Power CompanyTM, is headquartered in Windsor Locks, Connecticut. It is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX). Among the largest global suppliers of technologically advanced aerospace and industrial products, the company designs and manufactures aerospace systems for commercial, regional, corporate and military aircraft, and is a major supplier for international space programs.
United Technologies Corporation, based in Hartford, Connecticut, provides a broad range of high-technology products and support services to the building services and aerospace industries.
Contact:
Tim Burris
860-654-4790
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