GKN showcasing rotary wing capability at Heli-Expo 2016
Above: Fokker Technologies is a partner on the NH-90 programme.
The company is an established supplier of major sections of fuselage, ice protection systems, transparencies and fuel and flotation equipment for many civil and military helicopter programmes globally. With the integration of Fokker Technologies into the GKN Aerospace operation, this rotary wing expertise is significantly extended and new capabilities are added including advanced landing gear and mission computing.
The latest fuel tank developments will be on display at Heli Expo. With a manufacturing capability in both the US and the UK, GKN Aerospace supplies full turnkey fuel systems packages from fuel storage to engine feed, as well as flexible fuel bladders, crashworthy and self-sealing systems and rotationally moulded tanks, and range extender tanks, incorporating explosive suppressant and anti-slosh technology when required. For the military sector, GKN Aerospace also offers the most rapid self-sealing capability on the market today.
Above: GKN Aerospace flexible fuel tank.
Alongside the fuel tanks display, the company will exhibit its emergency flotation tanks. An authority on the specification, design, manufacture and qualification of complete emergency flotation systems which are designed to FAR / JAR 27 and 29, the company continues to develop new materials and fabrication techniques to meet demand for lighter weight equipment with extended performance and reliability, offering improving safety for crew and passengers.
With the integration of Fokker Technologies, the company is making a growing contribution to the rotary wing sector. This business is a partner in the NH-90 programme and has designed and developed - and now manufactures - the helicopter’s composite tail, cabin door, advanced landing gear, sponsons, intermediate gearbox, tactical mission computer and nose wheel steering unit. The business also maintains and services NH-90 helicopters. For the Boeing AH-64 Apache, Fokker Technologies provides the forward avionics bays (FAB’s), the vertical stabiliser and landing gear. This successful collaboration has continued with the operation involved in the latest Apache version: the AH-64D Block III. Fokker Technologies also manufactures major subassemblies for the aft section of Boeing’s CH-47F Chinook and the advanced thermoplastic horizontal tailplane for the AgustaWestland AW169. One of the first of its kind in the aerospace industry, this is a 3m long, main load-bearing, primary structure is 15% lighter than comparable composite solutions.
GKN Aerospace has an established operation supplying fuselage structures and detailed components in composites and metallic, as well as integrated floor assemblies and hinges, for the rotary wing market. This includes major structures for the cockpit, cabin and tailboom of the Bell 525 Relentless and fuselage structures for the AgustaWestland 159.
GKN Aerospace has been delivering industry-leading transparencies to the helicopter market for nearly five decades and supports programmes such as AW101 Merlin, the AW159 Wildcat, and the CH-53K Super Stallion. With a strong technology base and core expertise in glass and plastics manufacture, GKN Aerospace provides high strength, light weight heated cockpit windshields, cockpit canopies and lower vision windows, cabin and specialist observer structures. The company’s transparency designs can incorporate Hiviz heated coatings, electro-magnetic shielding and anti-spall / anti-scratch self-healing surface protection (internal & external).
Extending its established ice protection activity, GKN Aerospace is developing a new level of capability in ice detection using a GKN patented technology aimed at improving operational safety and reducing weight. The company offers complete ice protection system design and test expertise, including comprehensive in-house icing tunnel test facilities. The company has the capacity for high volume manufacture of electro-thermal ice protection systems and is exploiting its composites manufacturing experience in exploring potential applications for this hugely versatile technology across applications such as flight control surfaces, engine and equipment inlets and helicopter rotor blades. GKN Aerospace already provides rotary wing electric ice protection for programmes including the V-22 Osprey and the AW101 Merlin.
