Story ID: 345
UTAS Expands Reach into Bizjets, Supersonics
By: Kerry Lynch
Caption: The Aerostructures group views the 6X nacelle program win as a first step in a multi-faceted expansion of its capabilities.
Word Count: 649

Dassault Aviation’s selection of UTC Aerospace Systems (UTAS, Booth 633) to provide the nacelles for the Falcon 6X long-range aircraft marked the first step in a multi-faceted strategic expansion for UTAS’s Aerostructures business that includes the return to the business aviation market, an extended reach of its repair capabilities, and growth in its supersonics technologies.

The French plane maker earlier this year selected the UTAS Aerostructures group to design and produce an integrated nacelle system that includes the inlet, fan cowls, thrust reverser, and engine build up system for the 6X.

While that selection recognized UTAS’s decades of experience in the nacelle business, it involved the first business aviation platform for the San Diego-based group since the late 1990s. Over the past few decades, the Aerostructures unit had turned its attention to the commercial aviation sector, a move that proved successful as the group certified 16 different nacelle systems and developed more than 300 active patents, said Dave Foos, vice president of business development for UTAS.

Over that time, Foos said, “We also added a lot of industrial capacity,” including well more than 5 million sq ft of industrial and MRO capacity. With this capacity UTAS executives began looking at possibilities for potential expansion, including the business jet market, he said, calling the Dassault 6X “the start of it.”

The timing was right for a return to business jets, added Gary Reynolds, vice president regional and engine systems. “We’ve been focused on where and when we would enter the business jet market for quite a few years now.”

The partnership with Dassault is progressing with the initial phase of preliminary design of the nacelle program completed and now moving into detailed design. Plans call for the delivery of the initial nacelles for flight test vehicles next year.

But for the UTAS Aerostructures group, this was only the first of what it hopes to be a number of opportunities, he said. 

The business aviation expansion extends to its repair capabilities as well. UTAS was selected by completions specialist AMAC Aerospace to provide nacelle maintenance. Under the five-year agreement, UTAS will provide nacelle and engine build up services, along with lease and exchange.

“This agreement will enable us to leverage our global MRO network and commercial aircraft experience for the business jet and VIP aircraft segment," said Aerostructures president Marc Duvall, adding the agreement partners the group with a premier provider of VIP completion services.

Along with the return the business jet market, the Aerostructures business is exploring ways it can leverage existing expertise in the areas of supersonics.

This area is not new for the group, which once was a supplier for the Concorde. Foos noted the group has been pouring more than $100 million in research and development, with a portion dedicated toward the areas of noise and the high temperatures associated with supersonic speeds.

This includes a titanium liquid interface bonding process that UTAS has developed over a number of years and currently used in areas such as the Rolls-Royce Trent 900 fan case. Building on that for supersonics, the process is designed for areas where temperature exceeds the tolerances of conventional materials, helping to provide “better packaging of components.” This improves acoustic performance, as well as high temperature tolerance, Reynolds said.

Another involves research with the variable air inlet.  “The idea is to slow down the supersonic air to subsonic before it enters the engine in order to help that engine remain stable,” Foos said.

Similar to the timing of the business jet market, the Aerostructures group also sees opportunity in the market in the supersonic realm. "We firmly believe that is the next big step in aerospace is to go into supersonics,” Reynolds said.

, full_html