Collaborating with Airbus with work done in Endicott
ENDICOTT, N.Y. — BAE Systems says it will provide and integrate actuator control units (ACUs) for JetZero’s next-generation blended wing-body aircraft demonstrator.
BAE also says it has signed an agreement with Airbus to provide the energy-storage system for Airbus’ microhybridization-demonstration project for commercial aircraft.
BAE Systems specializes in flight-control technology with more than 40 years of experience designing and certifying fly-by-wire systems for commercial and military platforms. Headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, BAE Systems, Inc. is the U.S. subsidiary of UK–based BAE Systems plc, a global defense, security, and aerospace company.
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ACUs for JetZero
The Long Beach, California–based company’s demonstrator is designed to “deliver enhanced energy efficiency and reduced emissions,” per a BAE Systems Dec. 19 announcement.
BAE’s locations in Endicott in Broome County and in Fort Wayne, Indiana will design and produce the ACUs, the company said.
As part of the flight-control system, BAE Systems’ ACUs interpret flight-control signals, including pilot commands from active-control sticks, which the company will also provide for the demonstrator. The advanced ACUs function as remote actuators within a distributed flight-control system, BAE Systems noted.
The units’ localized flight-surface management capabilities “deliver enhanced flight control with reliable, precise coordination and responsiveness,” per the company announcement.
“Our mature, highly capable actuator control units play a vital role in our shared vision of sustainable aviation with JetZero, seamlessly integrating with the flight control system,” Gary Battestin, director of air transport systems for controls and avionics Solutions at BAE Systems, said. “This technology enhances overall flight performance, supporting a cleaner and more efficient future for air travel.”
By providing both the ACUs and the pilot-control inceptors, BAE Systems says it will minimize the integration time for the aircraft. The actuation controllers are “proven, reliable, and previously certified systems” that reduce customer risk, “reinforcing the company’s leadership in stick-to-surface flight control solutions, from pilot input to surface response,” the company said.
Collaborating with Airbus
The two companies will advance sustainable aviation by “maturing and integrating” electrification technologies that can “reduce aviation’s carbon footprint,” according to a BAE Systems announcement on Jan. 13.
Work on the energy-storage system will be performed at BAE Systems’ state-of-the-art engineering and manufacturing facility in Endicott.
BAE Systems will develop, test, and deliver energy-storage packs for electric aircraft in the megawatt power class, offering 200-kilowatt-hour energy capacity to enhance energy efficiency and performance. The energy-storage system will provide electric-propulsion assistance to the engine during various phases of flight, BAE said.
As part of the agreement, BAE Systems will provide energy-storage systems to Airbus for lab testing and system integration for hybridization-technology demonstration.
“Our collaboration with Airbus will help future developments in air travel — advancing sustainable aviation with leading-edge energy management solutions,” Ehtisham Siddiqui, VP and general manager of Controls and Avionics Solutions at BAE Systems, said in the announcement. “BAE Systems’ experience in flight-critical systems and vehicle electrification equips us to meet aerospace’s unique demands, allowing us to optimize performance, work towards more responsible aircraft operations, and address safe electric flight.”
BAE Systems has made investments in aircraft electrification and energy management, leveraging its expertise in safety-critical systems to mature technologies that meet energy-storage system performance and certification requirements.
The company says it has developed solutions to meet key challenges of energy storage in electric aviation, providing the optimum balance of energy and power for the next generation of aircraft. Its family of energy-storage products offers a roadmap to 300 Wh/kg energy density using high-volume standard format cells. This gives aircraft a cost-effective and scalable upgrade path as battery technology matures.
BAE Systems’ experience developing and integrating electric power and propulsion systems goes back more than 25 years, while its expertise in developing flight-critical control systems for military and commercial aircraft spans more than four decades.
