AFR Enterprises Blog - page 15

Sikorsky Aircraft has recently selected Rockwell Collins for the United States Air Force Combat Rescue Helicopter program. Rockwell Collins will be expected to supply mission equipment and state of the art avionics to the upcoming generation of combat rescue helicopters; this will include the navigation radios, the cockpit flight and mission display system, as well as the advanced ARC-210 V/UHF communication system. Read more >>

Boeing has begun final assembly of the first 737 MAX 8, the very first member of its new fuel efficient single aisle family. Once the first fuselage arrived at Boeing’s Renton plant on August 21, technicians began installing insulation blankets, wiring, flight systems, hydraulics, and air conditioning systems. Afterwards, Boeing mechanics moved the new fuselage over to the wing-to-body section of the plant and connected the wings to the fuselage. Read more >>

Rolls-Royce has delivered its 2,000th AE 2100 engine, which was installed onto a US Air Force C-130J by Lockheed Martin. This major milestone reflects the continued success of Rolls-Royce as the world’s leading engine manufacturer for military transport. Developed to power the latest generation of high-speed turboprop aircraft, the AE 2100 has been designed to operate under the demanding conditions of open water and off-runway take-offs and landings. Read more >>

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that they have selected Pratt & Whitney as one of the companies that will develop and mature advanced core-engine technologies as a part of the FAA’s Continuous Lower Energy, Emissions and Noise (CLEEN II) initiative. The technology will be primarily for engine compressor and turbine modules with the goal of reducing fuel consumption and emissions. The purpose of the program to create environmentally friendly aircraft technologies as well as sustainable alternative fuel sources. Read more >>

Lightweight, high-performance metals giant Alcoa is investing $22 million in Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP) technology at its facility in Whitehall, Michigan. The investment will enable Alcoa to capture growing demand for advanced titanium, nickel, and 3D-printed parts for the world’s bestselling jet engines. HIP involves the simultaneous application of high pressure and temperatures to significantly improve the mechanical properties and quality of cast products, such as blades and structures for jet engines. Demonstrating its support for the expansion, the City of Whitehall has approved a 12-year Industrial Facilities Tax Exemption valued at over $1,000,000. Read more >>

Raytheon has completed successful effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP) testing of their next-generation jammer (NGJ) prototypes at the Benefield Anechoic Facility at Edwards Air Force Base, California. Read more >>

Northrop Grumman, the leading global security company providing innovative systems, products and solutions in unmanned systems, cyber, C4ISR, and logistics and modernization to government and commercial customers worldwide, has delivered on schedule the telescope structure for NASA's James Webb Space Telescope Aug. 24 to Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. This important step begins paving the way for the integration of the 18 hexagonal mirrors that will help scientists observe the formation of the first stars and galaxies over 13.5 billion years ago. Read more >>

Oshkosh Corporation, an American industrial company that builds and designs specialty trucks, truck bodies, access equipment, and military vehicles, has recently been awarded a $6.75 billion contract by the United States Army. Under this contract, Oshkosh Corporation will be responsible for building around 17,000 new light trucks in order to replace the already aging Humvees which are being used by the United States Army and Marine Corps. Oshkosh Corporation was awarded this contract over several other viable competitors, such as AM General LLC and Lockheed Martin Corporation, solidifying Oshkosh’s future for its defense business. Over the span of the next 25 years, the Wisconsin-based Oshkosh Corporation will be building as many as 55,000 Joint Light Tactical Vehicles, also known as JLTVs, in order to replace a portion of the Humvee fleet as well as some other larger military trucks. Read more >>

Mirantis has lured yet another investor to back them in their quest to launch their own version of OpenStack. Mirantis started out as systems integrator that took the best OpenStack modules from many vendors to build cloud deployments for customers. Last October, the pure-play OpenStack vendor announced a $100 million round of investing. And less than 10 months later, Mirantis is back with an identical announcement. Read more >>

The European Space Agency has recently awarded the Ariane 6 development contract to Airbus Safran Launchers, a new joint venture in the launcher industry between Airbus Group and Safran. The contracts for the development of the Ariane 6 and its launch base, as well as the Vega C launcher, is valued at $2.68 billion for the Ariane 6, $669 million for the launch base, and $440 million for the Vega C. Read more >>