Parker Aerospace (Hall 4 Stand A16) returns to Farnborough International this year rejuvenated by a string of recent contract signings and the opening of a joint venture with Singapore’s SIA Engineering Co. Christened Aerospace Component Engineering Services (ACE Services), the partnership with SIA was consummated with the opening of an $11.9 million, 32,000-sq-ft facility located at Loyang Aerospace Park near Singapore Changi Airport.
The new maintenance and repair shop services hydraulic pumps, flight control actuators, servo-control valves and thrust-reverser actuators. SIAEC controls a 51-percent stake in ACE Services, while Parker Aerospace parent company Parker Hannifin holds the remaining 49 percent.
ACE Services was formed to provide hydraulics maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO), local support and original equipment products and services for all Asia-Pacific carriers. It is the first non-original equipment manufacturer (OEM) hydraulic service center in the world that can handle hydraulic pressures of up to 5,000 psi, a capability that qualifies it to support next-generation civil aircraft such as the Airbus A380 and Boeing 787, as well as any other commercial airplane. It also stands as the first facility in the region to provide original-equipment MRO support of Parker components and systems.
One of those systems will soon include the flight control actuator for the new ATG Javelin high-performance business jet/military trainer. Under the contract signed last month with Aviation Technology Group of Englewood, Colorado, Parker will design, integrate and produce all actuation components of the flight control system for the Javelin, including hydraulic and electromechanical actuation system capabilities for the aircraft’s primary and secondary controls.
Electromechanical actuators account for most of Parker’s deliverables and involve a number of applications, including control surface gain and monitoring, trim functions and secondary flight controls, allowing the aircraft to fly at low speeds, assisting in the airplane’s longitudinal control and providing stable directional control. Hydraulic actuators comprise the remainder of the system and provide primary control for the Javelin’s longitudinal and lateral motion. Parker estimates the value of the contract will exceed $100 million over the life of the program.
Given its growing presence in the defense sector, Parker shouldn’t feel at all out of place contributing to the F/18-inspired Javelin. In fact, just last month the company’s military résumé grew still larger with a contract to supply the weapons bay door drive system (WBDDS) for the U.S. Navy’s P-8A multi-mission maritime aircraft under development by Boeing. Parker partnered with Curtiss-Wright for the WBDDS and won the contract as part of a so-called “best value” solution for Boeing. A derivative of the 737-800, the P-8A will replace the Navy’s aging fleet of P-3 aircraft and serve as a long-range, anti-submarine, anti-surface warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft capable of broad-area, maritime and littoral operations.
The weapons bay door drive system allows the aircraft to open and close doors located on the bottom of the aircraft to deploy weapons. As program lead for the new project, Parker assumes responsibility for system integration and delivery of the entire hydromechanical system. Under the terms of the contract, Parker will design and develop the hydraulic control module, hydraulic power drive unit, uplocks, sensors, electronic control unit and all WBDDS integration and qualification requirements. Curtiss-Wright will provide rotary gear actuators, angle gearboxes, torque tubes, locking mechanisms and position sensing components on the system.
