Officials from the power transmission systems unit of Collins Aerospace (Booth C3112) hope to be able to soon announce a new aircraft platform that its products have been selected to equip, Gianfranco Barbato, power and controls director and general manager, said Wednesday at Heli-Expo 2019. He said he is not yet able to identify the aircraft because of the manufacturer's request.
The unit’s most recent publicly announced aircraft platform is the Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion heavy-lift helicopter, of which the U.S. Marines is expected to order as many as 200. Collins was selected in May to provide this helicopter’s power transmission system for the tail rotor, which includes driveshafts, couplings, and bearing assemblies. The CH-53K drive systems work is performed at Collins’ Rome, New York facility, which manufactures shafts and couplings for more than 25 different helicopter models, as well as power takeoff shafts for 90 percent of the U.S. and Western allies' fighter jets and bombers, a Collins spokesman said.