Emirates Airline has signed a 10-year agreement for Goodrich to overhaul and support the 16 passenger-evacuation slides on its A380 aircraft. The work will be done at Goodrich’s Middle East facility in Dubai and is covered by a new general-terms agreement signed last week to cover all future maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) agreements between the carrier and the U.S. manufacturer.
Goodrich’s Middle East campus offers MRO services for components and systems for both commercial and military aircraft. The facility’s capabilities include nacelle systems, cargo systems, de-icing systems, hoists and winches, sensor systems, engine controls, power systems and evacuation systems.
According to Charlotte, North Carolina-based company, the campus approach fosters a more efficient way to serve customers, offering a range of MRO services for a multitude of Goodrich products and systems under one roof. It runs other MRO campuses in Australia, China, France, Singapore and the U.S.
Goodrich’s 115,000-sq-ft Middle East campus stands at the heart of the company’s “Speed and Ease” aftermarket strategy, concentrating on providing operators with local, easy access to the broad range of company services. Capabilities include support for nacelle systems, cargo systems, de-icing systems, hoists and winches, sensor systems, engine controls, power systems and evacuation systems.
Civil and Military
Here at the show, Goodrich (Stand W360) is showcasing a range of advanced civil and military technologies, including ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) data collection, exploitation and dissemination systems, the Terprom digital terrain profile mapping system, SmartDisplay electronic flight bag, fixed- and rotary-wing actuation systems, aerostructures and engine nacelles, engine controls and power systems, wheels and brakes and local aftermarket services.
The Goodrich advanced DB-110 sensor–a real-time, digital, tactical reconnaissance sensor able to capture images day and night using electro-optical/infrared technology–serves as a focus of the display at the show. The sensor transmits the data, in real time, to analysts on the ground. Flown on fast-jet platforms and large UAVs, the DB-110 reconnaissance pod verifies targets and can conduct tasks such as battle damage assessment.
The company’s intelligence exploitation system (IES), also on display, provides effective management and dissemination of data from a wide range of sensors, including the Goodrich DB-110. This system allows users to store, search and retrieve precisely the data they need, as they need it. Goodrich technology also allows transmission of data over very low bandwidth communications networks, rapidly disseminating fused intelligence to relevant personnel at every level.
The company’s exhibit also prominently features the demonstrator for its Terprom digital terrain system. Used by 14 nations, the Terprom equips more than 5,000 military aircraft, including the C-17, C-130 and A400M transports and the Typhoon, F-16 and Hawk fighters. It provides navigational accuracy for fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft of between 15 and 30 meters (50 and 100 feet) even where GPS is denied. It also used for predictive ground collision avoidance, accurate terrain following flight and wire and obstacle avoidance.
Meanwhile, Goodrich’s electronic flight bag (EFB) systems for airline retrofit and airframe OEM installations also grace the display. The newest SmartDisplay EFB, planned for certification in 2012, uses a unique dual-partitioned architecture that allows concurrent operation of both FAA-STC- or TSOA-certified software and Windows-based EFB applications on the same system. The SmartDisplay EFB also allows customers to use Type A and B Windows-based applications now, then upgrade their system to enable certified Type C applications for emerging NextGen and SESAR operational requirements.
Another display item centers on Goodrich’s actuation capabilities covering flight- and mission-critical hydromechanical and electromechanical systems for both primary and secondary flight control, and utility systems. Current major contracts include the design and manufacture of a fully integrated, fly-by-wire, primary flight control system for the Embraer KC-390 jet transport aircraft. The system will comprise new electro-hydrostatic actuators (EHAs), electro-backup hydrostatic actuators (EBHAs), actuator electronics and electrical controls.
Finally, Goodrich is exhibiting its advanced aerostructures and engine nacelles. Goodrich supplies the nacelle systems for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, the Airbus A350XWB, the Bombardier CSeries, the Mitsubishi Regional Jet and the Pratt & Whitney PW1100G-powered Airbus A320neo.
