Safety of flight certification secured

17 July, 2006 -– Farnborough, United Kingdom - Smiths Aerospace completes safety of flight testing for the Standby Flight Display (SFD) and Remote Input/Output (RIO) equipment and delivers hardware for the Joint Striker Fighter (JSF) F-35 first flight. Final flight c ertification is planned by the end of July. The hardware is being delivered from the Smiths facility in Cheltenham , United Kingdom to Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth , Texas .

“Our combined systems in digital, electrical and mechanical technologies offer unique solutions for the F-35”, said Dr. John Ferrie , President, Smiths Aerospace, “We are delighted to help bring the F-35 closer to achieving the first flight milestone toward the end of this year.”

Smiths provides the following systems on the F-35 JSF valued between $6 - 7 billion depending on the variant over the lifetime of the aircraft:

• electrical power management system, remote input / output data concentrator units, standby flight display system, (Cheltenham UK )

• weapons control and data management ( Michigan , Maryland and Florida )

• engine and debris monitoring system and airframe strain and stress models (Southampton UK )

• LiftFan™ hose and tube system ( New Hampshire and Massachusetts )

• actuation systems and components included in the propulsion system and airframe ( New Jersey , Indiana , Washington and Wolverhampton UK )

In addition, Smiths Group Interconnect was selected to provide broadband cable assemblies total contract value is $500 million over the life of the programme. (Times Microwave, Wallingford , CT ) 

About the F-35: The F-35 is the single most important new military aircraft to be produced over the next 30 years. The F-35 market consists of 2,581 aircraft for the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force. Up to an additional 2,000 aircraft are expected to be sold for export. Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) will commence in 2007 followed by full-rate production of the aircraft beginning in 2013 continuing beyond 2027.

About Smiths' F-35 systems

Standby Flight Display System: The standby display system independently displays attitude, altitude, airspeed, vertical velocity and angle of attack. The display system is centrally located in the cockpit front panel and incorporates fully agile performance.

Weapons Control: The fuselage remote interface units will provide the interface between the avionics and all weapon stations. The units supply the distribution of GPS signals to weapons, as well as performing the weapons arming, release and emergency jettison functions. The missile remote interface units adapt the industry standard weapons interface to unique missile interface types. The pylon remote interface units adapt the industry standard weapons interface to legacy weapon interface types. The bomb rack power module supplied is a high-pressure pneumatic manifold and bottle storage device helping to manage the pneumatic discharge system of the weapons delivery. A pneumatic reversible, in-flight locking actuator is also included.

LiftFan ™ hose and tube system: Smiths will supply all of the rigid tubes and flexible hoses for the hydraulic and lubrication systems of the F-35 LiftFan™. The LiftFan™ is used exclusively on the short-takeoff/vertical-landing (STOVL) variant of the F-35. This, combined with a vectoring rear engine nozzle, produces the lifting force necessary for short takeoffs, vertical landings and hovering.

Electrical Power Management System: The electrical power management system will provide the primary and secondary electrical distribution and control and backup battery capability throughout the aircraft.

Engine Rings: The exhaust containment ring for the F-35 provides the interface of the power plant to exhaust nozzle and the sync rings control flap and seal actuation for the after burn.

Actuation Systems: The actuation systems include the 3 bearing swivel duct actuation system at the rear of the aircraft and the variable area nozzle and inlet guide vanes, which control airflow through the forward lift fan on the short-takeoff/vertical landing F-35.

Remote Input/Output Units: The ten remote input/output units per aircraft provide the primary analogue to digital conversion of the sensor and effector interfaces to the vehicle sub-systems. The units also transmit and receive data and commands to the vehicle management computers via multiple high-speed serial data busses.

About Smiths: Smiths Aerospace, a part of Smiths Group, is a leading transatlantic aerospace systems and equipment company, with more than 11,000 employees and $2 billion revenues globally. The company holds key positions in the supply chains of all major military and civil aircraft and engine manufacturers and is a world-leader in digital, electrical power, mechanical systems, engine components and Systems Customer Services. www.geaviationsystems.com

# # #