Category: Military

SAE International Publishes New Standard to Improve Aerospace Engine Supply Chain Quality and Control

SAE International announced today the publication of a new technical standard, SAE AS13100: AESQ Quality Management System Requirements for Aero Engine Design and Production Organizations, to simplify and harmonize the various requirements of aerospace engine manufacturers into a single set of requirements to improve understanding, efficiency and performance of aerospace engines.

“With the globalization and diversification of the aerospace industry, assuring manufacturers produce and continually improve safe, reliable products that meet or exceed customer and regulatory authority requirements is complex,” said David Alexander, director of aerospace standards at SAE International. “The AS13100 standard represents a major step forward in the harmonization of the engine manufacturer supplier requirements and provides a clear focus on defect prevention processes that will help the supply chain to achieve the goal of zero defects.”

The SAE G-22 Aerospace Engine Supplier Quality Standards Committee, in conjunction with the Aerospace Engine Supplier Quality (AESQ) Strategy Group™, a program of the SAE ITC, developed the AS13100 standard with the intent to improve the overall product quality of aerospace engines by focusing on the key systems and processes currently deterring consistent quality products. In support of the AS13100 standard, the AESQ Strategy Group also developed a series of 13 Reference Manuals that provide guidance material and additional detail on subjects to aid users with implementation.

“In total, we have engaged with over 100 subject matter experts from across our companies and the industry to create Reference Manuals that capture the current best practice on the key quality tools,” said Dr. Ian Riggs, group quality executive at Rolls-Royce Aerospace and chairman of the AESQ Strategy Group. “We will continue to engage with the industry through subject specific Communities of Practices to help develop the capability of the entire supply chain.”

To support adoption and understanding of the standard requirements, SAE and the AESQ Strategy Group are launching a professional development course, titled AS13100 Supplemental Quality Management System Req, that will provide a walkthrough of each section of the standard, providing knowledge on key concepts, background and intent, best practices and recommendations, demonstration of compliance, and reviews of guidance material. Through this self-paced course, participants can gain key insights about a common quality language, how to gain compliance to AS13100 and the business value and benefit of the standard.

“Through collaboration with the AESQ Strategy Group, the professional development course supports the intent of the AS13100 standard by helping participants assess, design and maintain the business processes to add value to their business,” Elizabeth Melville, director of learning at SAE International, said. “By enrolling in the course, participants will be able overcome the common barriers by assuring the quality of and integration of products throughout the world and at all levels within the supply chain.”

Royal Navy and US Navy to Give Aviation Safety Updates at Defence Aviation Safety 2021

SMi Group Reports attendees can expect to hear navy aviation safety updates at the 3rd annual Defence Aviation Safety conference this April.

Defence Aviation Safety 2021 will bring together leaders from around the world to focus on strategies that aim to enhance the protection of lives and capability for aviators and ground crew operating in today’s battle environment.

With a range of international safety briefings, this virtual conference is the ideal opportunity to stay up to date on safety within defence, as well as network virtually with experts within the field.

The conference will also feature presentations from UK and US navy aviation safety leaders, who will be sharing safety updates from the Royal Navy and US Navy, along with insight on how they measure and promote safety.

Interested parties can register online at £999 for commercial organizations and for free for military and government personnel on http://www.defenceaviationsafety.com/pr5avmmag.

Presentations from the Royal Navy and US Navy will be as follows:

‘The Royal Navy Update: How the Navy Are Delivering Safety Across All Maritime Platforms and Systems’
• Priorities for the Royal Navy Safety Center
• Measuring safety and reducing risk: reporting tools that enable greater safety across the fleet
• Managing a variety of complex platforms and systems whilst ensuring safety
• The rise of unmanned and autonomous systems – overcoming the Safety and oversight challenges
Presented by Commodore Stuart Henderson, Navy Safety Center Director, Royal Navy
‘US Navy Safety Center: Maximizing Safety for Naval Platforms And Systems’
• Maintaining safe operational readiness
• Measuring success: data management tools and analytics used to oversee efficient safety delivery
• Promoting safety across the Navy
• Current projects and initiatives to improve safety culture across the US Navy
Presented by Rear Admiral Fredrick Luchtman, Commander, US Navy Safety Center
As the only conference specifically dedicated to aviation safety in the defence and military environment, Defence Aviation Safety 2021 will be an essential date for those who prioritise safety within their organization.

8tree’s Research Center in Germany Achieves ISO9001 Certification

“Every crisis presents an opportunity. Although the aviation sector – one of 8tree’s core markets – was adversely impacted by the COVID-19, our intention was to emerge stronger coming out of the crisis. The ISO9001 certification sends a clear message to our customers and stakeholders saying ‘8tree is still here – stronger than ever,’” says Erik Klaas, 8tree’s CTO.

8tree performs R&D, product design and manufacturing in Constance, Germany. ISO9001 certification for this site took effect on March 19th 2021.

“Alongside the adoption of 8tree’s products by major OEMs, airlines and MROs like Airbus, Delta, SIAEC and Lufthansa Technik, the independent ISO9001 certification marks another significant milestone for us. The certification emphasizes that 8tree’s products are developed and manufactured under highest quality standards,” says Arun Chhabra, 8tree’s CEO.

GKN and Partners Launch ASCEND to Accelerate High Volume Composite Technologies

GKN Aerospace is heading up a new UK industry consortium called ASCEND (Aerospace and Automotive Supply Chain Enabled Development) to develop and accelerate composite material and process technologies for the next generation of energy efficient aircraft and future mobility.

The £40m ($55.65m) consortium, funded by a £20.0M ($27.82m) commitment from industry and a £19.6M ($27.27m) commitment from the UK Government via ATI, will focus on greater adoption of composite technologies today, the industrialization of new technologies, as well as accelerating aerospace production rates to meet future high-volume requirements. The collaboration will help develop technologies from across the UK supply-chain to develop the advanced materials and automation equipment required to manufacture lightweight structures for the sustainable air mobility, aerospace and automotive industry.

Assyst Bullmer, Airborne, Cobham Mission Systems Wimborne, Cygnet Texkimp, Des Composites, FAR-UK Ltd, Hexcel Composites, Hive Composites, LMAT, Loop Technology, McLaren Automotive, the National Composites Centre, Rafinex, Sigmatex (UK) and Solvay Composite Materials will join GKN Aerospace in the consortium with collaboration and investment support from Axillium Research. Through a 3-year commitment, the partnership, backed by the UK government, will bring together expertise, capabilities and resources from across the wider UK aerospace and automotive supply chain.  In doing so, ASCEND will strengthen the UK’s position as a technology leader in future lightweight structures and help to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions in the aerospace and automotive industry.

The consortium will be led from GKN Aerospace’s Global Technology Centre in Bristol and will support up to 130 jobs through 2023/24. GKN Aerospace will use its long-term experience and in-depth knowledge of composite engineering for integrated airframe structures throughout the project.

“GKN Aerospace has deep knowledge and expertise in composite technology and we are proud to lead this consortium. Accelerating the next-generation of lightweight, cost effective advanced composite technologies is critical for the aerospace and automotive industry and its move to more energy-efficient aircraft and vehicles,” said John Pritchard, president Civil Airframe GKN Aerospace. “Ensuring we can not only develop these technologies, but also manufacture them at high-rate across the UK supply chain, will maintain our position as an industry leader and underpin our commitment to sustainability. Combined with the Aerospace Technology Institute, which is providing vital support for the UK’s position on the next generation of aircraft, we will be able to deliver breakthroughs in technology as well as benchmark levels of price, quality and repeatability.“

US Army Awards UH-60 Repair Contract to S3 AeroDefense

S3 AeroDefense is proud to celebrate their continued partnership with the US Army. In September 2020, the US Army awarded S3 with a five-year Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP) Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract, solidifying what has already been a strong partnership between the two organizations.  After a year long bidding and research process with providers worldwide, the US Army has selected S3 as the sole partner to execute service for the entire US Army UH-60 Blackhawk Fleet pursuant to FAR 52.216-22 for overhaul and the repair of the Moog UH-60 Hydraulic APU Accumulators.

“The continued expansion of our in-house capabilities paired with strong OEM relationships, allows S3 AeroDefense to supply necessary safety and functionality repairs for every aircraft in their fleet. We are proud to support the US Army in this latest contract and beyond.” said Mario De La Torre, director of Sales – Americas, S3 AeroDefense.

By strategically utilizing their manufacturer direct partnerships, S3 says they provides the US Army with an array of the latest product upgrade and “puts them on the forefront of innovations.” S3 has been a choice partner by the US Army for five years across multiple different aircraft operational needs across the globe.

“At S3, being awarded this contract by the US Army solidifies our mission as a company and builds on the strong foundat ion we have built to service governments and military aircraft operators around the world,” said Sebastien Imbert, senior vice president of Sales, S3 AeroDefense. “We are excited to continue the level of excellence that our partners are accustom to and grow our relationship with the US Army.”

Work on overhaul units will be carried out at S3 AeroDefense’s in-house repair shop in Milwaukee, Wisc., all while mitigating long turnaround times and ensuring mission-readiness for the US Army.  The Contract with the US Army allows S3 to add to the rapidly expanding growing list of global contracts.

Carlos Miller, VP Aerospace and Defense, Pioneer

Pioneer Metal Finishing Acquires Electrochem Solutions, a Precious Metal Plating Company in Silicon Valley

Pioneer Metal Finishing (Pioneer), a portfolio company of Aterian Investment Partners (Aterian), announced the acquisition of Electrochem Solutions (Electrochem).

Founded in 1982 and based in Union City, Calif., Electrochem is a metal finishing company in Silicon Valley. Electrochem provides a range of highly technical finishing solutions including gold plating, silver plating, anodizing, electroless nickel, and other services to clients primarily in the semiconductor fabrication equipment end market.

“Pioneer is the right choice for Electrochem, our employees and customers,” David Rossiter, owner of Electrochem, said. “Pioneer is recognized as the ideal buyer for family and founder owned metal finishing businesses. I am confident Pioneer will be a great home for our employees and customers because of our shared goals and values.”

Daniel Krasnow, principal at Aterian added, “We are excited to continue to build upon Pioneer’s strategy of acquiring leading metal finishing businesses. Electrochem expands Pioneer’s presence on the West Coast and adds new technical capabilities Pioneer can build upon.”

Defense, aviation and aerospace firms all demand mission-critical performance from precious metal plating and coating for a variety of rigorous applications including systems for missile guidance, aircraft power and thrust and satellite communications. Connectivity solutions, for example, must deliver 100% reliable current and voltage under potentially harsh conditions.

“For aerospace customers, this acquisition uniquely positions Pioneer to provide highly complex solutions, flexible capabilities and an ultra-reliable supply chain to a dynamic industry that’s exhibiting strong growth. Across all markets, customers appreciate the stability offered by Pioneer’s financial strength, broad customer base and large footprint across North America – currently 11 facilities and more than one million square feet of manufacturing capacity. Pioneer in committed to continually meet their needs today, tomorrow and into the future,” said Carlos Miller, Pioneer Metal Products’ VP Aerospace and Defense, shown here. “Like Pioneer, Electrochem has a proud history of developing and executing challenging engineered surface solutions that other companies shy away from. We’re now a one-stop shop for precious metal coatings that provide superior connectivity and anti-corrosion performance. Founded nearly 40 years ago, Electrochem focuses on functionally engineered precious metal plating, electroless nickel, aluminum anodizing, complex masking and clean room-based related services for specialized, high-tech components; Electrochem is an approved vendor for many Fortune 500 companies. Francisco Ruiz, current General Manager, will continue leading this division.”

Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP advised Pioneer on the transaction.

Collins Aerospace, Air Force and Defense Logistics Agency Team Receives Honors for Wheel and Brake Support Program

A combined Collins Aerospace, U.S. Air Force (USAF) and Defense Logistics Agency (DLA)  team has received the 2020 Secretary of Defense (SECDEF) Performance Based Logistics (PBL) Award, Subsystem Level. The government-industry team, which included members of the USAF 429th and 417th Supply Chain Management Squadrons (SCMS), worked together to implement an F-16 and C-130 PBL wheel and brake program that resulted in significant USAF cost savings, while maintaining 100 percent warfighter support. Collins Aerospace is a unit of Raytheon Technologies Corp.

By utilizing commercial best practices, the team developed an innovative process replacing traditional transactional spares contracting with a performance-based approach that resulted in a number of improvements, including:

  • Implementation of F-16 carbon brake heat sink reutilization to achieve USAF savings of $2.39 million in year one (16.7 percent over the status quo) and overall total USG program savings of $87.8 million.
  • Projected total USAF cost avoidance for both the F-16 and C-130 of $117 million for the life of the contract.
  • Decreased C-130 Administrative Lead Time and Procurement Lead Times by 30 percent, from 255 to 180 days.
  • Ensured the first Financial Improvement and Audit Readiness (FIAR) compliant USAF PBL, which maximizes the potential for successful financial statement audits.
  • Drove change in USAF regulations, allowing access to USAF logistical systems to achieve superior forecasting in the supply chain.
  • Achieved cost savings utilizing a PBL allowing Collins to level load production and capture costs savings.

“Collins Aerospace is committed to supporting the warfighter as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible,” said Ajay Mahajan, vice president, Landing Systems for Collins Aerospace. “By implementing a performance-based contracting mechanism with carbon reutilization technologies from our commercial business, we were able to partner together with the USAF and DLA to implement time-based product support solutions. We are honored to be part of the team that contributed to these achievements and look forward to continuing to deliver exceptional performance across each USAF platform we support.”

Ampex Data Systems to Support Air Force Test Center at Edwards Air Force Base

Ampex Data Systems (Ampex), a Delta Information Systems Company, has been awarded a firm-fixed price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract in support of the Air Force Test Center. The contract will provide telemetric electrical system-supplies and ancillary services to Edwards Air Force Base (AFB), Eglin AFB, and other Department of Defense (DoD) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) activities.

In addition to Ampex’s engineering and maintenance support, deliveries include high-speed flight test and mission data recorders. These units are SWaP-C optimized, software-defined, and provide a secure, network-capable platform for critical flight test instrumentation and mission operations.

Ampex supports United States Air Force and DoD mission avionics and flight testing as a supplier for programs including the F-15, F-16, F-18, F-35, B-2, MQ- 1, MQ-8, MQ-9, MQ-25, RQ-4, P-3, and P-8 among many others. Most notably, Ampex provides the network file servers and boot computers that are the digital backbone of the United States Navy’s E-2 C/D Hawkeye fleet.

“The future in this technology space is high-speed, network-based systems that can analyze recorded data and then secure it with advanced encryption,” said Jim Orahood, vice president and general manager of Ampex Data Systems. “Ampex can meet these future requirements now. We look forward to supporting the DoD and NASA through this new contract vehicle for the next decade.”

Deloitte Names Coykendall as U. S. Aerospace and Defense Leader

Deloitte announced the appointment of John Coykendall, a principal at Deloitte Consulting, to lead its U.S. aerospace and defense (A&D) sector within the U.S. industrial products and construction practice. Additionally, Coykendall was named Deloitte’s global aerospace and defense sector leader. He succeeds Robin Lineberger, who will be retiring from Deloitte in May.

Based in Stamford, Connecticut, Coykendall will lead the overall strategic direction of the A&D sector, as well as the go-to-market strategies for Deloitte’s key businesses including audit & assurance, consulting, tax and risk & financial advisory services. Among Deloitte’s A&D clients are companies on the Fortune 500, including the aerospace; commercial aircraft; business and general aviation; space and ship building; and defense industries.

“We are confident John’s sector, client and leadership experience will provide an excellent foundation to continue our momentum in the A&D market,” said Paul Wellener, vice chairman, Deloitte and U.S. industrial products and construction leader. “He is well-positioned to help our clients transform amid the multidimensional challenges facing the sector, including and especially recovery from the pandemic. We congratulate John on his new role and thank Robin for his exceptional leadership and contributions to the organization.”

Most recently, Coykendall served as the consulting leader for Deloitte’s global industrial products and construction practice. During his 25-year career, he has worked extensively with global companies with highly engineered products in the A&D, industrial products and automotive industries. He has led large-scale transformation efforts to help businesses with strategic cost transformation and operations/supply chain initiatives.

“The pandemic has created never-before-seen challenges and opportunities for the A&D sector,” said Coykendall. “While the long-term impacts for the commercial aerospace sector remain to be seen, rapid innovation in emerging and transformative technologies are ushering in a new era of aviation. I’m honored to take on this leadership role at such a pivotal time in the industry. I look forward to helping our clients, across the sector, navigate the complex and bold moves required to accelerate adoption of industry 4.0 and other generational step-changes that are expected to drive growth and shape the industry of the future.”

Coykendall has an undergraduate degree from Lafayette College in business and economics; and government and law. He also holds an MBA from Duke University.

BA Group Adds to Real Estate Portfolio with Exclusive Property Hagerstown Area

Business Aviation Group, LLC is proud to add a purpose-built MRO/Defense Hangar to its industry-leading real estate portfolio in the US.

Located at the Hagerstown Regional Airport and currently available for lease, Hangar 65 is well-equipped for a variety of aviation services and business applications – from Flight Departments to Aircraft Service Centers and MRO operations.

Built in 2007, Hangar 65 offers 20,000 square feet of office/shop space and 40,000 square feet of state-of-the-art Hangar space. The large Hangar footprint – which features heated flooring, compressed air and foam fire suppression – makes it ideal for heavy and ultra-long-range aircraft.

“BA Group caters to discerning aviation clients looking for versatile and modern facilities in key locations,” said Will Mace, Associate Broker, BA Group. “Specifically designed with the needs of a large MRO/defense contractor in mind, Hangar 65 fits our real estate portfolio perfectly.”

Located just a 35-minute flight or 90-minute drive northwest of the DC/Baltimore area, Hagerstown Regional Airport is an important business hub in the North West region and is currently completing a $6 million terminal expansion project which is set to be completed this spring.

“The Hangar 65 facility has been an important flagship at our airfield for many years,” said Garrison Plessinger, Airport director, Hagerstown Regional Airport. “As we prepare to unveil our newly designed terminal, we are proud to include it in our airport community.”

For more information, visit https://tinyurl.com/y4vv39ax