Smiths Aerospace Selected to Power the Global Hawk.Business & Aerospace/Defense Editors DAYTON, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 5, 2002 Smiths Aerospace has received a contract from Northrop Grumman Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) is an aerospace and defense conglomerate that is the result of the 1994 purchase of Grumman by Northrop. The company is the third largest defense contractor for the U.S. to provide a new main generator system for the Global Hawk, the United States Air Force United States Air Force (USAF) Major component of the U.S. military organization, with primary responsibility for air warfare, air defense, and military space research. It also provides air services in coordination with the other military branches. U.S. newest unmanned aerial vehicle A powered, aerial vehicle that does not carry a human operator, uses aerodynamic forces to provide vehicle lift, can fly autonomously or be piloted remotely, can be expendable or recoverable, and can carry a lethal or nonlethal payload. (UAV UAV Unmanned Aerial Vehicle UAV Unmanned Air Vehicle UAV Unmanned Aerospace Vehicle UAV Unmanned Airborne Vehicle UAV Uninhabited Air Vehicle UAV Urban Assault Vehicle UAV Unpiloted Aerial Vehicle (less common) ) program. The system will be manufactured at the Smiths Aerospace facility in Ohio. Under this contract, the generator system will more than double existing electrical power on the Global Hawk. Deliveries will begin in June 2003 for aircraft integration, test and flight demonstration. Production is scheduled to begin in early 2004. The U.S. Air Force forecasts a need for 50 Global Hawk's through 2015. There is also significant interest from international customers, the U.S. military and for homeland defense. John Ferrie, Group Managing Director for Smiths Aerospace, noted, "We are investing in new electrical power technologies and integrated systems across a range of military and civil applications. Electrical power has significant growth opportunities for Smiths. UAVs and UCAVs are an important market for us." Notes to editors: Global Hawk electrical power The generator system will more than double the existing AC electrical power on the RQ-4A Global Hawk by modifying an off-the-shelf integrated VSCF VSCF Variable-Speed Constant Frequency VSCF Vibrational Self Consistent Field VSCF Virtual Switch Control Function (Variable Speed Constant Frequency) package into a "split" 25kVA VSCF system compatible with the Global Hawk's existing AE007H engine. The new generator system is comprised of an engine-mounted 6-12k rpm variable frequency generator (VFG VFG Vintage Fashion Guild (international online trade organization of vintage clothing sellers) VFG Vertical Foregrip VFG Video Frame Grabber VFG Variable Frequency Generator VFG Vineyard of Fragrant Grapes ) with self-contained oil system working in concert with a new-design converter/generator control unit (C/GCU). This new electric generator system is also competitive for super premium bizjets and regional jets, and special mission aircraft where a market exists for 20-40kVA 400Hz AC, as well as 40-60kW 270vdc electric power systems on existing turbofan engine gearboxes. The "split" features of the system offer aircraft-designers installation flexibility (due to center of gravity (CG) options) and operating cost reductions by minimizing engine-mounted components via a reliable, liquid-cooled converter that can be mounted outside the engine bay. The VFG utilizes Smiths Aerospace's proprietary "dry cavity" oil-cooling approach proven in thousands of variable speed constant frequency generator systems used by modern tactical military aircraft (i.e., F/A-18C/D & E/F E/F Educator/Facilitator , F-117A, T-50/A-50, A-4S-1, U-2S and in qualification for the V-22). The new generator/integral speed increase gearbox also contains an oil management system that cools both the generator and separate C/GCU electronics box. The controller will be a digital signal processor-based system, while the converter will use hybrid power Hybrid Power in this context describes the combination of a power producer and the means to store that power in an energy storage medium. In power engineering, the term 'hybrid' does not mean a "method," such as the popular use of hybrid to mean a vehicle like the Toyota electronics to produce precise 115VAC (Volts Alternating Current) See volt and AC. , 400Hz high-quality power. About the Global Hawk The Global Hawk is a high-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aerial reconnaissance system that will provide military field commanders with high-resolution, near-real-time imagery of large geographic areas. The vehicle, with its 116- foot wingspan and 44-foot length, carries both synthetic aperture radar Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) Radar, airborne or satellite-borne, that uses special signal processing to produce high-resolution images of the surface of the Earth (or another object) while traversing a considerable flight path. and electro-optical and infrared sensors. The Global Hawk system will be able to survey, in one day, an area equivalent to the state of Illinois. For a typical mission, the Global Hawk system can fly to a target area 3,000 nautical miles away, and stay airborne for 24 hours Adv. 1. for 24 hours - without stopping; "she worked around the clock" around the clock, round the clock collecting data before returning. It flies at altitudes up to 65,000 feet. About Smiths Aerospace Smiths Aerospace is the leading transatlantic aerospace equipment company, with half its 12,000 staff and $2 billion revenues in North America. Smiths Aerospace holds key positions in the supply chains of all major military and civil aircraft and engine manufacturers and is a world-leader in electronic systems, actuation systems, precision components and detection systems. |
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