Collins Aerospace selected by Saab to provide mission-critical power and controls systems

Collins Aerospace Systems, a unit of United Technologies Corp., has been selected by Saab to provide key power and controls systems for the Boeing T-X trainer, including the aircraft's Power Take Off (PTO) shaft, Auxiliary Power Engine Control Unit (APECU), engine start system and Main Electric Power Generation System (MEPGS).

Collins Aerospace announced in January that it would supply its ACES 5 ejection seat to Boeing for the U.S. Air Force contract, along with the platform's fully integrated landing gear system.

Collins Aerospace is a leader in the PTO shaft industry. Its shafts, which the company has been manufacturing since the 1950s, are on many U.S. and allied nations' fighter jets and bombers. The shafts are used to transmit power from the engine to the Aircraft Mounted Accessory Drive Gearbox. Collins Aerospace's PTO shaft for the Boeing T-X is constructed with state-of-the-art diaphragm flexures intended to provide high reliability with no required maintenance.

Collins Aerospace's APECU is a full-authority, advanced electronic controller that controls, monitors and diagnoses all phases of auxiliary power and engine start system operation. The controller also transmits fault and maintenance information to the aircraft systems through redundant communication buses. Collins Aerospace's engine start system includes a Starter Control Valve and Air Turbine Starter that converts pneumatic power, supplied by the APU and controlled by the starter control valve, into mechanical shaft horsepower to start the engine. The MEPGS will feature Collins Aerospace's proven integrated drive generator and digital controls technology to deliver highly reliable constant frequency power.

"Collins Aerospace is proud to join with Saab in support of the Boeing T-X advanced pilot training aircraft," said Power & Controls President Tim White. "Our proven technologies will play a critical role in generating power efficiently and reliably. We look forward to continuing to work with the Saab team on the Boeing T-X program in the years to come."