Category: Military

Brumitt Appointed VP, Aerospace and Defense of Maine Pointe

Global supply chain and operations consulting firm Maine Pointe announced the appointment of Christopher Brumitt to its industry leadership team as vice president, Aerospace & Defense. He is taking over the role previously held by David Kleine, who recently retired.

Brumitt is a seasoned professional who has worked within the implementation consulting industry for more than 30 years. He has a track record of helping senior executives realize the accelerated execution of significant strategic and operational goals. During the last two years at Maine Pointe, he has worked closely with David Kleine to drive the aerospace/defense sector and achieve significant financial and operational success for clients.

“Chris’s leadership will continue to drive sustainable growth for our aerospace & defense clients,” said David Jadwin, executive vice president, Business Development of Maine Pointe. “He has a deep understanding of the challenges being faced by those in this industry, and how Maine Pointe’s Total Value Optimization approach will give them a significant advantage.”

Brumitt has past experience working with Fortune 500 companies across a broad range of industry areas including aerospace & defense, industrial manufacturing, electronics, high tech/electronics, energy and financial services. The improvements have included operational execution, top-line growth, pursuit & capture acceleration, procurement, logistics, supply chain optimization, and organizational development.

Before joining Maine Pointe, Brumitt was vice president at an aerospace & defense consulting group. During his nine years in this role, he was responsible for market analysis and new business introduction in the Americas, EMEA and Asia. Prior to this assignment, he spent six years as a vice president at a US-based consultancy where he was responsible for the North American energy, aerospace & defense and financial services sectors.

“Chris Brumitt’s industry expertise, combined with his years of implementation consulting industry experience and commitment, creates significant leverage points,” said Jadwin. “I am confident that our clients and firm will benefit as a result of his leadership.”

Kaman Measuring Announces KD-5100 Differential Measurement System

The Measuring Division of Kaman Precision Products announced the availability of its KD-5100 differential measurement system, which provides resolution to a nanometer of positional change. With its stable design, extremely small size, and low power consumption, Kaman says the KD-5100 is ideal for night vision systems, precision telescope positioning, fast steering mirrors (FSM) for space-based and airborne applications, and image stabilization systems. Kaman says their engineers work closely with customers to understand their specific application and optimize the KD-5100 to meet custom requirements.
Featuring a small package size – only 2 x 2.12 x 0.75 inches thick – the KD-5100 is a good choice for applications where space is a limiting factor. It is manufactured to MIL-H-38534, with MIL-SPEC components used throughout the electronics module wherever possible. The KD-5100 features rugged construction, with a mean time between failures of better than 238,000 hours in a space flight environment and 55,000 hours in a tactical environment. Kaman also offers the DIT-5200, a commercial version of the KD-5100 for applications where mil-spec requirements, size, weight and power consumption are not critical.
The company touts that the KD-5100 team has a combined total of more than 100 years of application, design and engineering experience.
Kaman offers high-precision, electro-mechanical contract manufacturing at its 215,000 square foot facility, which has 150,000 square feet of manufacturing area and 220 employees. The Measuring Division of Kaman Precision Products follows rigorous aerospace quality systems. The manufacturing facility is certified to AS9100 and ISO 9001 and features a class 100 clean room.

Boeing Successfully Tests Autonomous Pax Vehicle

Boeing successfully completed the first test flight of its autonomous passenger air vehicle (PAV) prototype in Manassas, Virginia. Boeing NeXt, which leads the company’s urban air mobility efforts, utilized Boeing subsidiary Aurora Flight Sciences to design and develop the electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft and will continue testing to advance the safety and reliability of on-demand autonomous air transportation.

The PAV prototype completed a controlled takeoff, hover and landing during the flight, which tested the vehicle’s autonomous functions and ground control systems. Future flights will test forward, wing-borne flight, as well as the transition phase between vertical and forward-flight modes. This transition phase is typically the most significant engineering challenge for any high-speed VTOL aircraft.

“In one year, we have progressed from a conceptual design to a flying prototype,” said Boeing chief technology officer Greg Hyslop. “Boeing’s expertise and innovation have been critical in developing aviation as the world’s safest and most efficient form of transportation, and we will continue to lead with a safe, innovative and responsible approach to new mobility solutions.”

Powered by an electric propulsion system, the PAV prototype is designed for fully autonomous flight from takeoff to landing, with a range of up to 50 miles (80.47 kilometers). Measuring 30 feet (9.14 meters) long and 28 feet (8.53 meters) wide, its advanced airframe integrates the propulsion and wing systems to achieve efficient hover and forward flight.

“This is what revolution looks like, and it’s because of autonomy,” said John Langford, president and chief executive officer of Aurora Flight Sciences. “Certifiable autonomy is going to make quiet, clean and safe urban air mobility possible.”

The test flight represents the latest milestone for Boeing NeXt. The division works with regulatory agencies and industry partners to lead the responsible introduction of a new mobility ecosystem and ensure a future where autonomous and piloted air vehicles safely coexist. In addition to the PAV, the Boeing NeXt portfolio includes an unmanned fully electric cargo air vehicle (CAV) designed to transport up to 500 pounds (226.80 kilograms) and other urban, regional and global mobility platforms. The CAV completed its first indoor flight last year and will transition to outdoor flight testing in 2019.

“Boeing was there when the aviation industry was born and in our second century, we will unlock the potential of the urban air mobility market,” said Steve Nordlund, vice president and general manager of Boeing NeXt. “From building air vehicles to airspace integration, we will usher in a future of safe, low-stress mobility in cities and regions around the world.”

Flying Colours Moves into Fifth St. Louis Hangar – Hiring 50

Flying Colours Corp. has taken up residence in its fifth hangar at the Spirit of St. Louis airport. The existing building, which is ideally located adjacent to the KSUS runway, adds 30,000 square feet to the St. Louis footprint, and the company says, complements the expanded cabinetry and interiors workshop opened at the facility in January 2018.

Since taking over the hangar lease in December 2018 the local team has been outfitting the building, installing new state-of-the-art tooling and supplementary maintenance equipment as well as revamping the office décor. The completed facility accommodates up to three parallel large-jet maintenance, avionics upgrades and interior projects at once. It is initially expecting to support heavy maintenance work and two Bombardier Global aircraft are already in-situ for 120-month heavy maintenance checks.

A recruitment drive is ramping up to source more than 50 extra maintenance engineers, technicians and administrative support personnel, bringing the St. Louis workforce to more than 200 in total.

The addition of the fifth hangar runs in parallel with the construction at Flying Colours’ Peterborough, Ontario headquarters of a fourth hangar which will be large enough to manage completions, refurbishment, maintenance and paint work in a new dedicated paint shop for Bombardier and Gulfstream large jet types, as well as executive airliners.

“Our business continues to grow as we build our reputation for maintenance, refurbishments and completion projects on time and on budget. Our customers also value the fact we can run interiors and maintenance simultaneously, so reducing down time. We were turning work away in St. Louis so it’s great to have the hangar ready and open for operations,” says Sean Gillespie, EVP Flying Colours Corp. The addition of the St. Louis hangar, and the building of new workshops in Peterborough, represent Flying Colours ongoing expansion plans driven by growth in customer demand.

Lee Aerospace Expands FAA Part 145 Capabilities and West Coast Presence

With the start of the New Year, Lee Aerospace announces expansion of its Part 145 capabilities and its national presence across the United States.  As of late December, the Lee Aerospace Part 145 Repair Station, #YLR863L, has added repair capabilities to include composite repairs on specific models for the main entry door assembly of the HondaJet. In addition to the existing certificate rating, which originally focused primarily on transparencies, Lee Aerospace is now expanding into other structural elements of the airframe.

“We are well-known in the industry for our inspection, repair and installation of transparencies. However, we have manufactured composite assemblies and major aerostructures at Lee Aerospace for years. Adding this composite capability to our 145 certificate allows us the opportunity to perform repairs on structural assemblies that we know very well on the manufacturing side,” said Greg Piland, VP of Aftermarket Sales and Services. “This expansion is a natural progression for the company.”

In addition to the new capability, the Lee Aerospace Part 145 Repair Station has added more service technicians on the West Coast. Lee now will be dispatching additional certified technicians out of Provo, Utah to cover the western regions of the United States. “We have had a growing customer demand out west. Fortunately, we were able broaden our reach by expanding the number of technicians nationwide and relocating some of our talent to Utah to meet that demand,” Piland added.

Driving demand for more installation services is Lee Aerospace’s new CoolView technology. In addition to the significant improvements in comfort that CoolView is providing owners and operators of the aircraft, the warranty on the Lee Aerospace manufactured products comes with an additional 12 months if Lee Aerospace performs the installations. “We feel like you are getting a great technology, a superior product, and with the option of the expanded warranty by using the Lee Aerospace A&P professionals to do the work, you are getting an industry-leading product offering,” adds Jim Lee, president of Lee Aerospace. “We will go anywhere in the nation, or across the world, to provide high-quality, certified installations.  Now with the expansion of our west coast staffing, we are making it even easier for our customers to enjoy the Lee Aerospace service and technology.”

AAR Awarded 7-Year Engine MRO Contract for the Royal Danish Air Force

AAR has been awarded a seven-year contract by the Danish Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organisation (DALO) to perform maintenance, repair and overhaul of Pratt & Whitney F100-220 engine components on the General Dynamics F-16 for the Royal Danish Air Force (RDAF).

“We are proud to continue our trusted long-term partnership with the Royal Danish Air Force. This contract reflects our strong relationship, continued focus on exceeding customer expectations and shared core values with the RDAF,” said Eric Bron, general manager of AAR’s MRO Services Component Repair Amsterdam. “AAR delivers tailored services and capabilities based on commercial best practices that result in quality work and cost savings for the customer.”

“This contract is part of our strategy to sustain the F-100 engine components for the remaining lifetime of the F-16 within the Danish Air Force. We are looking forward to continuing our good relationship with AAR for the years to come,” said Peter Laustsen, branch chief F-16 – Ballerup.

AAR’s MRO Services Component Repair Amsterdam facility has been supporting European Participating Air Forces (EPAF) as either a prime or a subcontractor performing repair management, component maintenance, supply chain and depot services for more than three decades.

TurbineAero Acquires APU Part Repair from Triumph Group

TurbineAero has acquired the APU piece part repair product line (RPL) from Triumph Aviation Services Asia.

The acquisition of the business segment integrates APU piece part repair into the APU Systems MRO in TurbineAero’s Asia facility which increases in-house capabilities, improves turn-times and assures extra cost reduction, the company says.

The integration will take place immediately in TurbineAero Asia’s new Thailand-based 80,000 square foot facility which will house up to 250 employees and will handle high technological testing, maintenance, repair and overhaul activities for aircraft components and systems for their customers, including APU MRO, LRUs and APU part repair.

“We are delighted to add the APU piece part repair technology to our existing APU Systems MRO capabilities. This acquisition emphasizes our focus on APU MRO and enables us to provide increased value-added services to our worldwide customer base,” said Peter Gille, vice president and general manager of TurbineAero Repair-Asia. “The acquisition highlights the growth TurbineAero has witnessed over the last two years and confirms the development of the aerospace industry in Thailand, where we are privileged to be included.”

“We are excited to conclude the acquisition of the APU piece part repair product line from the Triumph Group. This acquisition will further increase our competitive edge and will enable our expanding TurbineAero Thailand team to provide superior MRO service to the growing airline fleet in the region,” said Robert Wilson, CEO TurbineAero Inc.

New Embedded Controller CPU Includes IEEE-1588 Synchronization, Solid-State Drives and Hardware Encrypted Security

United Electronic Industries (UEI) today announced the UEIPAC series of standalone embedded controllers now offers an optional 8347E CPU. This version includes IEEE-1588 synchronization, solid-state hard drives up to 32 Gigabyte, hardware-based Ethernet encryption plus twice the RAM, and 32 times as much FLASH memory.

The UEIPAC Cube and RACK chassis systems offer an unprecedented combination of flexibility, ruggedness, low cost and small size. The unit is an ideal solution in a wide variety of measurement and control applications including: Temperature control, Remote/unmanned vehicle control, Hardware in-the-loop (HIL) and more. The UEIPAC is also an ideal solution for a host of embedded DAQ applications as it allows systems to be developed without the cost or the additional space required by an external host computer. The UEIPAC supports both VxWorks and Linux operating systems.

The new CPU is available on all UEI platforms including their popular Cube, RACKtangle and FlatRACK chassis. Over 70 different I/O boards are available and may be installed in the UEIPAC chassis. The I/O boards include standard, generic analog and digital I/O, ICP/IEPE, Strain, LVDT/RVDT, Synchro/Resolver, CAN-bus, RS-232/422/485 and many more. There are also interface boards for popular avionics buses including ARINC 429/453/708, MIL-STD-1553 and AFDX.

Pricing for industrial rated chassis start at, $2595 for the three I/O slot UEIPAC 300-1G-03, $2795 for the six I/O slot UEIPAC 600-1G, and $4750 for the 12 I/O slot UEIPAC 1200R-03. Chassis designed for military applications start at $20,700.

Spring Testing Solution Available from L. S. Starrett

The L.S. Starrett Co. has announced the introduction of a basic, affordable Spring testing solution designed for compression and extension springs. The new Starrett S1 Spring Testing Systems were developed for high volume production testing for users seeking more consistent results over manual testing methods.

Starrett says their S1 Systems feature “easy-to-use test templates that enable the user to create a test set up in seconds using one and two-point methods, with test targets being load or height-based.” In addition, the small footprint of the S1 System is ideal for either lean manufacturing environments or in-situ production areas. Spring rate, spring constant, free length, solid height and initial tension can be measured and tolerances can be utilized to determine immediate pass/fail results, which can be viewed in graphic or tabular formats.

“Our new Starrett S1 Spring Testers are a compact, easy to use, powerful, fast and cost-effective solution for basic production testing of springs,” said Emerson Leme, head of Starrett Metrology Equipment Division.

Software features of Starrett S1 Spring Testing Systems enable the use of preconditioning options to exercise springs prior to testing, the ability to scrag for a number of cycles or duration or compress to a load set and hold for a duration. Single or dual test limits may be used and target load or height/length for determining spring rate, spring constant, load and length at target limits, initial tension and measured free length can be specified.

The system’s statistics view displays key statistical information for the user’s batch including mean, range, standard deviations and tolerance results. Custom reports can also be printed out and data can be exported to Microsoft Excel or SPC Software such as ProLink’s QC CALC application.

MaintSmart Software Awarded GSA Contract

MaintSmart Software, Inc. was recently awarded a GSA (Government Services Administration) contract for IT Schedule 70 (contract # 47QTCA19D000Q). This contract covers pre-packaged software, training and support for their CMMS software product. This GSA contract offers reduced pricing to federal government agencies. The company says the “government purchasing process is also greatly simplified when purchasing from a GSA vendor such as MaintSmart Software, Inc.” GSA carefully screens its vendors ensuring the reliability and stability of GSA purchases. By attaining this award, MaintSmart joins a list of only 1.2 percent of all the CMMS software companies that hold a GSA contract. “We are grateful to the GSA for working hard with us as partners in attaining this award,” a statement from the company said.

MaintSmart Software is a CMMS software product that can use OPC compliant data to automatically generate work orders based upon equipment demand. “Our OPC capability is unique amongst CMMS solutions,” the statement said. “Additionally, schedule work based upon day intervals, dates, weekdays and times. Our new report designer uses an intuitive drag and drop design. Our current version is MaintSmart 5.0 is completely translatable into any language.”

MaintSmart Software Inc. has been providing full featured CMMS software to the world since 1996 and is available in web, cloud and soon mobile application formats. MaintSmart is in use in 42 countries.