Oct 14, 2015 ASDNews Source : Cobham

The KC-46A Pegasus notched another success this week when the systems at the heart of aerial refuelling were demonstrated on EMD-2 with the deployment of both drogue systems and the boom

On Thursday, EMD-2 successfully extended the drogue refuelling baskets from both the Centerline Drogue System, located on the belly of the fuselage, and from the Wing Aerial Refuelling Pods, located on the wing tips, for probe receiver aircraft.  On Friday, EMD-2 extended the boom, the telescoping tube which an operator on the tanker aircraft extends to receptacle-equipped receiver aircraft. "The core mission of Pegasus is to fuel the fight, so deploying the boom and drogues signals real progress toward demonstrating the ability to pass fuel in flight," said Brig. Gen. Duke Z. Richardson, Program Executive Officer for Tankers at the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center. "This sets the stage for the main act, which is hooking up to and refuelling an aircraft in flight." 

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Mar 5, 2014 ASDNews Source : Cobham Plc

Cobham has been awarded a 30 month contract by BAE Systems to provide air support to operational readiness training for the Royal Saudi Air Force. The contract is part of the Saudi British Defence Cooperation Programme and will run from 2014 to 2016.

The contract builds on Cobham’s 25 years’ experience supporting operational readiness training for armed forces in the United Kingdom and for the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). Cobham’s specialist technology and know-how is used to provide training to service personnel operating platforms, including the Typhoon, Tornado and Type 45 Destroyer. Cobham Aviation Services supports training in the United Kingdom and a number of the Ministry of Defence's overseas detachments in regions such as North America and the Middle East.

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Aug 28, 2013 ASDNews Source : Cobham Plc

    To Overhaul, Upgrade AH-64 Apache Nitrogen Inerting Unit

Cobham has been awarded a contract by the US Army worth up to $7.1 million to overhaul and upgrade Nitrogen Inerting Units (NIUs) for the AH-64 Apache helicopter. The work will be performed by Cobham Life Support in Davenport, Iowa, beginning in 2013.

In September 2012, Cobham received a five year Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract valued at some $15 million to manufacture OBIGGS NIUs for US Army AH-64 Apache helicopters. The OBIGGS fulfils a critical aircraft safety system role by displacing fuel tank vapors with inert nitrogen gas, reducing the risk of explosion. More than 1,500 Apache helicopters with Cobham NIUs have been delivered worldwide.

Cobham Life Support president Kelly Coffield said: “This award reflects Cobham's unrivalled decades of experience in the design, development, delivery and support of fuel tank inerting systems, ranging from depot repair to equipping and training customers to fully maintaining products at their own facilities.”

Cobham remains the world-wide leader in military OBIGGS providing solutions since 1985 on more than 2,400 aircraft flying today, ranging from military helicopters, military transport aircraft like the C-17 Globe Master, to regional and commercial platforms such as Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Cobham OBIGGS systems have logged more than six million flight hours total experience including 12 international customers. Cobham can tailor the modular range of proven OBIGGS to fit a wide range of applications.

14 January 2013 naval-technology.com

Sikorsky Aircraft has awarded a contract to Cobham Aerospace Communications for the production of area microphone preamplifiers in support of the US Marine Corps' (USMC) next-generation heavy-lift rotorcraft, the CH-53K Super Stallion.

Known as Model 265-005 and used in a wide range of aircraft applications, the area microphone preamplifier will help in detecting and amplifying signals that are sent out of the cockpit and routes them to voice recorders.

Compatible with various other voice and data recorders, the equipment is available is different industry mounting standards such as DZUS panel mount, glare shield surface mount, and integrated or remotely-connected microphone options.

The CH-53K Super Stallion is a large, heavy-lift cargo helicopter and features three 7,500shp (5,590kW) engines, new composite rotor blades, and a wider cabin than previous CH-53 variants.

The helicopter is equipped with a new elastomeric hub system, a low-maintenance elastomeric rotor head, upgraded engines and a locking cargo rail system.

Capable of carrying more than 27,000lb of external load in extreme weather conditions, the CH-53K helicopters are being developed to replace the existing CH-53E Super Stallions in 2019.

Two additional ground test helicopters are currently undergoing airframe structural testing at the company's US facility in Stratford, Connecticut, while all the four follow-on helicopters will undergo flight testing between 2014 and 2015.

Expected to continue through and beyond 2020, Sikorsky team for the CH-53K, 200-ship programme contract involves Aurora Flight Sciences, ITT Excelis, GKN Aerospace and Spirit Aerosystems.