EADS-NA Says Not Comfortable Priming KC-X Contract

March 12, 2010 by Matthew Potter · Comment
Filed under: Alabama, EADS, General Dynamics, KC-X, KC-X Tanker News, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman Corp., Raytheon, Syndicated Industry News 

Aviation Week is reporting that EADS-North America felt it needed an partner on the KC-X contract as it was not comfortable being the prime for such a large effort. While EADS has experienced some decent growth in the U.S. it still has a fairly lean organization.

The company was confident that they could provide to Northrop the basic airframes on cost and schedule. Northrop would have then been responsible for the necessary military modifications. EADS would have had to find a partner in General Dynamics, Raytheon or Lockheed Martin. There would be few large contractors available in the U.S. with the past experience to support a contract of this size.

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Raytheon, PlantCML Conduct Joint Civil Communications Open Architecture Demonstration

March 9, 2010 by Jeffrey Bradford · Comment
Filed under: Raytheon, Syndicated Industry News 
Raytheon, PlantCML Conduct Joint Civil Communications Open Architecture Demonstration
March 9, 2010

Live demonstrations available on demand at IWCE Booth #5134

MARLBOROUGH, Mass., -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) and PlantCML, an EADS North America company, will conduct joint demonstrations of APCO Project 25 (P25) Inter-RF Sub-System Interface at the International Wireless Communication Expo in Las Vegas, March 10-12, 2010.

IWCE attendees will be able to witness production versions of Raytheon P25net and PlantCML's COR (P25) radio systems communicating during the first public appearance of Raytheon's Mobile Civil Communications Solutions vehicle.

"The open standards approach promotes competition, drives down costs and gives our customers low-risk procurement flexibility," said Bill Iannacci, director of civil communications, Raytheon Network Centric Systems. "It also creates the building blocks for nationwide standards-based interoperability, meeting the needs of the public safety community for daily operations and post catastrophe response."

"The P25 public safety radio communications standards were established to ensure communications interoperability for first responders at the scene of an emergency or disaster situation," said Steve Shanck, vice president and general manager of PlantCML Land Mobile Radio. "These interoperability demonstrations at IWCE showcase our joint commitment to facilitating the introduction of P25-standard equipment at the local, state and national levels."

PlantCML®, an EADS North America Company, is a pioneer and trusted leader in mission critical communications. PlantCML provides key technologies for public safety, federal and corporate markets. Their full-circle security and communications portfolio includes 9-1-1 call center CTI applications for call processing, CAD, mapping and information management, as well as managed services, notification solutions and services, and P25 Land Mobile Radio networks. The company is headquartered in Temecula, Calif.

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EADS Advanced Refueling Boom Transfers Fuel From Australian A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport to F-16 Fighter — Press Release

October 26, 2009 by Matthew Potter · Comment
Filed under: EADS, KC-X, KC-X Tanker News, Syndicated Industry News 

EADS Advanced Refueling Boom Transfers Fuel From Australian A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport to F-16 Fighter

ARLINGTON, VA — (Marketwire) — 10/22/09 — The EADS A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) — currently in production for four allied nations — marked another major performance milestone with the first in-flight refueling performed from the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) A330 MRTT utilizing its integrated Aerial Refueling Boom System (ARBS).

The contacts and subsequent fuel transfers were made with two F-16 receiver aircraft and validated the advanced ARBS handling qualities, precision, and stability on the A330 MRTT, as well as the capabilities of its 3-D vision system. The flight lasted four hours and 30 minutes, with more than 3,300 pounds of fuel transferred during 13 contacts.

EADS’ fly-by-wire ARBS is one of the key technological discriminators for the A330 MRTT and Northrop Grumman’s KC-45 offering to the U.S. Air Force, providing the only digital, all-electric fly-by-wire refueling system available today.

The ARBS has already made more than 250 wet and dry contacts with a wide range of receiver aircraft, in a full range of operating conditions and throughout the flight envelope, while the boom was deployed on an EADS test-bed aircraft.

“This significant milestone demonstrates the maturity of the world’s most modern aerial refueling boom system as integrated on the only next-generation tanker aircraft in production today,” said Ralph D. Crosby, Jr., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of EADS North America. “The A330 MRTT is one important step closer to service introduction with a key allied military service, the Royal Australian Air Force.”

“The ARBS was just as smooth and easy to control during these contacts as it has been in all our prior work with it,” said Don Cash, boom operator for the A330 MRTT test flight. “The precision of the system makes the boom feel just like an extension of my arm.”

Cash is a retired U.S. Air Force boom operator with more than 20 years’ experience aboard the KC-135 and KC-10, and has been on the ARBS design team for five years. “I’ve had the needs of the warfighter in mind from the beginning, and we’ve arrived at a system that offers them a level of performance and reliability unmatched by any system available in the world today and for the foreseeable future.”

The RAAF’s A330 MRTT is similar in configuration to Northrop Grumman’s KC-45 Tanker offered for the U.S. Air Force to recapitalize its aging aerial refueling fleet. Both aircraft are equipped with the EADS ARBS, plus a pair of all-digital Cobham 905E refueling pods under the wings. This mix of boom and pod refueling technologies ensures the A330 MRTT and KC-45 can transfer fuel to all types of receiver aircraft during a single mission without reconfiguration. The KC-45 also offers a centerline hose-and-drogue fuselage refueling unit.

The boom’s maximum nominal fuel flow rate is 1,200 U.S. gallons per minute, while the pods can deliver up to 420 gallons of fuel per minute. Aerial refueling operations are controlled from a state-of-the-art Remote Aerial Refueling Operator console in the cockpit behind the pilots, incorporating the enhanced vision system with laser infrared lighting and high-definition digital stereoscopic viewing.

“I have situational awareness and a field of view that far exceed anything I ever had during my Air Force career,” Cash said, “with crystal-clear visuals night or day.”

EADS North America is a principal teammate on Northrop Grumman’s KC-45 Tanker program, and is responsible for delivering the aircraft platform, which will be produced at a new aerospace center of excellence to be built in Mobile, Ala.

Airbus Military, an EADS company, is responsible for the design and production of the A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport for international customers, which today includes Australia, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Orders from those countries total 28 aircraft. The A330 MRTT has won all of the international competitions for new-generation aerial tankers since 2004.

The RAAF will receive its first of five A330 MRTTs in 2010, two of which have completed conversion and currently are in flight test. Upon delivery to the RAAF, they will be designated the KC-30A.

About EADS North America (www.eadsnorthamerica.com)

EADS North America is the North American operation of EADS, a global leader in aerospace, defense and related services. As a leader in all sectors of defense and homeland security, EADS North America and its parent company, EADS, contribute over $11 billion to the U.S. economy annually and support more than 200,000 American jobs through its network of suppliers and services. Operating in 17 states, EADS North America offers a broad array of advanced solutions to its customers in the commercial, homeland security, aerospace and defense markets.

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Media Contact:

Guy Hicks
Vice President, Corporate Communications
EADS North America
Tel: 703 236 3346
E-mail: Email Contact

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EADS North America Shakes Up Management

October 21, 2009 by Matthew Potter · Comment
Filed under: KC-X, KC-X Tanker News, U.S. Air Force 
EADS North America announced today that former NASA Administrator and Navy Secretary Sean O’Keefe will take over as their CEO. The current CEO, Ralph Crosby, will remain with the company and head up the tanker proposal. At the announcement EADS CEO Louis Gallois reiterated the company’s desire to do business in the United States and hinted at further acquisitions of companies. O’Keefe most recently had been the head of General Electrics aviation unit.

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EADS contracts for SETI delivery support

September 15, 2009 by admin · Comment
Filed under: Syndicated Industry News 

HUNT VALLEY, Md., Sept. 15 (UPI) -- AAI Corp. announced it has been selected by EADS North America Test and Services to support a U.S. Navy and Marine Corps helicopter engine program.

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