PPG will supply windshields and cockpit side windows for the in-development Dassault Falcon 6X business jet, the specialty coating and transparency provider announced this week at the Farnborough Airshow. This is the first time the U.S. company will supply original-equipment flight-deck windows for a Dassault Aviation program.
The company will produce the windshields and cockpit side windows for the Falcon 6X at its Huntsville, Alabama plant. Its transparencies will comprise three plies of optically clear PPG Herculite II chemically strengthened glass for lightweight strength and reliability. Because the Falcon 6X will not be equipped with windshield wipers, PPG Surface Seal hydrophobic coating on the flight-deck windows will enhance water shedding for visibility.
In another first, PPG has begun preliminary windshield design work for the multi-purpose transport An-132, the first Antonov aircraft for which it will provide transparencies. Antonov president Oleksandr Kryvokon said his company plans "to expand cooperation with PPG to other programs in the future.”
PPG (Hall 1, Stand B160) also announced an enhancement to its battery powered Semco 1250 dispensing tool, enabling faster and more efficient operation. Introduced last year, the tool has variable dispensing speeds and eliminates the need for hoses and a compressed air supply.
In other recent developments, Boeing Defense Australia has selected PPG to supply coatings for repainting the vertical stabilizers of an EA-18G Growler to match a special paint scheme applied by Boeing to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Growler’s squadron.
PPG also announced qualification and shop trials have commenced for its family of aerospace sealants that are cured using ultraviolet (UV) light, known in the industry as sealants cured on demand (SCOD). These sealants cure in seconds, rather than the hours or days traditional sealants might require.
Additionally, Airbus has qualified PPG's Desothane HD 9008 mica basecoat-clearcoat for applying sparkle effects to airplane liveries.