Farnborough Show News - July 14, 2008 - (Page 48)

FA R N B O R O U G H 2 0 0 8 BAE’s North American Unit Goes Global In a world where partners can collaborate on one project and compete on the next, BAE Systems’ Platform Solutions business shows how a global business can come full circle. The Johnson City, New York-based division owes its formation to BAE’s penetration of the U.S. market (mainly through acquisitions) and its need to set up firewalled companies there. Now Platform Solutions has 5,000 employees in 10 locations worldwide from southern California to Singapore and serves military, commercial and government customers around the globe. It is here at Farnborough showing three products: the Remote Guardian gun system that has been ordered by the U.S. Marine Corps for the V-22 Osprey, and the Q-Sight family of ultra-lightweight holographic helmet displays (Page 80); and even the ‘Hybridrive’ hybrid electric propulsion system being proven every day on hundreds of diesel buses in the streets of New York (below). “We actually don’t see ourselves as could have been anywhere, as BAE a North American business,” says Systems bought up Lockheed MarSean Bond, president of BAE Sys- tin Control Solutions, Boeing tems Platform Solutions and the C o m m e r c i a l E l e c t r o n i c s , former program manager of both G E Aerospace, GE’s control systhe V-22 at Bell Helicopter and the tems business, Lear Astronautics, JSF119 engine at Pratt & Whitney. and other companies. “The real value that “Our approach to the was created in all these global market is effecacquisitions was from tively through what I call integrating the busihome-culture partners nesses instead of taking in places like India, a holding company Japan, Mexico and Saudi approach,” says Bond, Arabia,” he told Show enabling the name News. “In the U.S. and ‘Solutions.’ Because it’s UK we are, of course, American based the residents. Tier 2 supplier gets the “I wish I could claim BAE’s Sean Bond. there was a grand plan stretching majority of its research funding back 70 years when our legacy com- from the U.S., and the rest from panies started coming into business overseas, including Airbus. Its busito form a global enterprise based in ness is 60% military and 40% Johnson City, but I don’t think that’s commercial, according to Bond. BAE Systems Platform Solutions the case.” Instead, the headquarters provides fly-by-wire control and actuation, FADECs and engine controls, humanmachine interface, and precision guidance and situation awareness. It also provides those bus engines… ‘Hybridrive’ “Probably not many people BAE extends its reach to the city streets. make the connection between the system—and to Platform Solutions’ buses in New York City and huge bid for power management on the aircraft flying in the sky, but there is Airbus A350 XWB. Bond thinks the time is right to one,” says Bond. The idea of more-electric less- apply Hybridrive technology to milhydraulic began with a demo on the itary vehicles. “We always felt that F/A-18 two decades ago at McDon- there was going to be a military applinell Douglas—and died. From there cation, we just didn’t know when,” the technology made its way via he said. “In the early days, we thought Platform Solutions’ legacy compa- it would be in the mid ’90s—we were nies to locomotives, to the city buses wrong by over a decade. “Well here we are today, with for which BAE Systems is testing an advanced lithium-ion battery for its 70 million miles of revenue service Hybridrive energy recuperation accumulated on our bus systems in austere environments like New York City, and now the U.S. military and the UK MoD are looking at how they can come up with more effective fuel-efficient systems for their ground vehicles.” New York’s second-generation Hybridrive buses have proven to cost 40% less to m a i n t a i n a n d 2 4 % l e s s t o operate than earlier lead-acid Hybridrive buses, according to the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory. While power management algorithms and knowledge are utilized for aircraft, Bond said the Hybridrive technology itself can be adapted for retrofit on military vehicles, and new ones, with a modular approach making it possible to custom fit for different vehicles. —John Morris 48 July 14, 2008 www.aviationweek.com/shownews http://www.aviationweek.com/shownews

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Farnborough Show News - July 14, 2008

Farnborough Show News - July 14, 2008 Contents Thirty More Years CFM Reveals New Engine Boeing Reduces Forecast UAVs’ Quiet Revolution Finmeccanica: U.S. Success A Plethora of AESAs BAE North America Plus L-3 Becomes a Prime Better Late Than Never A Peek Behind the Curtain China’s J-10 Revealed Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner Breaking LM’s Hegemony

Farnborough Show News - July 14, 2008

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