ASAP Parts Online Blog

In the south of Spain lies the Morón Air Base. this is where Airbus leading aircraft manufacturer just completed noise tests for their A35-100 model between March 27 and April 5. As part of its type certification flight test campaign. These tests are being conducted prior to the Airbus aircraft model’s entry into service, projected to happen before the end of this year.

Honeywell Aerospace leading manufacturer of aircraft engines and avionics. They also produce auxiliary power units and other miscellaneous aviation products.

Home to 59 twin-engine UH-1N helicopters, The Air Force is preparing for an increase in their current inventory. The existing helicopters first entered service 1970. They are currently being used for security at a number of nuclear missile sites. The Air Force defense contractors are currently in preparation to release proposals for more than 80 helicopters to be added to the existing inventory. This comes under service’s UH-1N Huey Replacement Program. A draft request for proposals is being anticipated for release in April, with the final plan to follow this summer. A contract is planned to be presented in 2018, with deliveries to begin one year later.

The General Electric CF6-80 engine was introduced in 1982 as a 52,500 – 63,500 lb. thrust engine meant to power mid and large size aircraft like the Boeing 767 and Airbus A330. The engine has aged well despite newer and more fuel-efficient models because of cheap fuel costs and passenger demand for long distance high capacity flights. Ultimately the engines will be phased out, but units are not uncommonly going through their second overhaul at MRO’s for GE CF6-70 engines. That’s an estimated 80,000 hours in flight or 9 years.  Globally, the market for GE CF6-80 engines is only expected to shrink by 8% in 2021, meaning MRO shops will be busy for years to come.

On March 14^th 2017, there was an article posted on New Electronics by Neil Tyler that talks about how NXP Semiconductors Dutch global semiconductor manufacturer, launched automotive grade tools and software to support the ARM Cortex-based MCU. These automotive grade tools are part of the S32K1 family.

Finding technical solutions might sound like a boring task but if it wasn’t for these tasks we would have never had all these smart gadgets and technologies that makes our lives much easier and more productive. What we couldn’t do a hundred years ago as a population or people on this planet; one man can do today because of how much information, knowledge and innovation we have created, it made all what we have today seem to be natural or part of life. Millitech is a company with more than 25 years of technical solutions experience that has created solution requirements that will modify current component designs and is able to fabricate certain characteristics of special components in order to come out with a better product. Recently Millitech has introduced a new Millimeter-Wave Assemblies (MMWAs) to the Aerospace and aviation industry.

Helicopters are a great asset to any consumer, and the US Navy has a high demand in utilizing helicopters for many reasons. Military helicopters are designed by a number of companies but recently Bell Helicopter has been assigned by the US Navy to design and assemble the AH-1Z military helicopter, also known as AH-1Z attack helicopter, and other related avionic work for the U.S Marine Corps under a contract by the U.S Navy for $49 million. The U.S Navy officials are requesting Bell Helicopter to order enough parts to build 27 Bell AH-1Z Attack Helicopters. Without mentioning the features of the AH-1Z but the helicopter features a four blade rotor system and an additional twin-engine which is based off the Super Cobra AH-1W helicopter. The AH-1Z also has an upgraded transmission and a new targeting system. Having said that the aircraft is going to have a whole new range of precision weapons that will utilize the new target indicator which can locate far away targets with great precision.

Conflicts are a huge problem that people in the aerospace industry must deal with, which can make things difficult because certain companies might not want to sell you their parts. This can be difficult because they might be the only supplier with that specific part, so you are out of luck and won’t be able to get that part. Currently the U.S. is dealing with a problem that is catching up to the fifth-generation fighter aircraft capabilities. This situation is putting the F-35 fighter jet program at risk to ongoing cyber vulnerabilities. If the United States does not figure out a way to diversify or improve their advantage in the stealth and weapon capacity, then other competitors will be passing them up and taking the lead. So, they are going to take the good from the fourth generation and their new ideas to create a fifth generation that stands out from the other threats.

This month a division of United Technologies Corp., Pratt & Whitney announced that it will invest roughly $386 million dollars into its Columbus, Georgia facility. This investment will increase production of parts and also the maintenance services and this will also reduce existing and new engine programs. With many equipment upgrades, construction of two new buildings and purchase of new automated machinery. The largest new area will be constructed for the facility to overhaul GTF engines with over 200,000 square feet to work with. This will include a 20,000 square foot manufacturing facility for specialized parts, and an area to develop turbine disks and compressor rotors for Pratt & Whitney Engines.

NanoRacks and Boeing to join forces to create the first privately funded commercial airlock. This could possibly enable the U.S. to triple the number of small deployed satellites from the International Space Station during only one single airlock. NanoRacks has selected Boeing to create and install the new airlock on the international space station. This new airlock is currently being manufactured at the Alabama Boeing facility along with other engineering services required for development. Safety, operations, quality assurance, avionics along with mechanical design and of course the final assembly of the airlock. The NanoRacks airlock will be permanently installed onboard the International Space Station once fully developed with an estimated launch date of 2019.