Goodrich Corp. has made its presence known in a big way here at Asian Aerospace as a major subassembly supplier on the show’s most conspicuous display aircraft. Appearing for the first time on an Airbus aircraft, the Goodrich main body and wing landing gear attached to the mammoth A380 account for just one facet of the company’s participation in the project.
Other Goodrich products on the A380 include the airplane’s 16 evacuation slide systems, high-density discharge (HID) and LED-based exterior lighting, variable frequency technology for the aircraft’s power generation system (through its Aerolec joint venture with Thales) and fly-by-wire flight controls.
Other A380 components supplied by Goodrich include the primary and standby air data systems, an automatic ice detection system, cockpit occupancy and flight attendant seating, the structure’s sail fairing, aft pylon fairing and center and rear fan-case sections for the A380’s Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engine option.
At Goodrich’s display stand showgoers can sample the company’s enterprise-wide Web portal, allowing customers to search for information on more than 500,000 parts. For many Goodrich businesses, customers can place orders and check their status online. More than 3,500 users from more than 600 companies have registered. Users without authentication can still search the portal to find contact information or more detail about a Goodrich part.
Recently recognized by Lockheed Martin for achieving 100-percent on-time delivery with full quality performance over the course of the past year, Goodrich’s de-icing, propulsion systems and hoist and winch teams have all qualified for the U.S. military contractor’s Star Supplier Awards. As award winners, the three divisions each met Lockheed’s highest standards for not only delivery and quality, but affordability and management. Of Lockheed Martin’s some 1,600 suppliers, only 178 have earned the honor.
Goodrich’s Optical and Space Systems division no doubt hopes to replicate the performance of the three award winners in its fulfillment of a contract just issued by the U.S. Army to design, develop and deliver and indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs) technology for use in infrared night vision cameras. Meant to further the development of high-resolution, high-sensitivity, dual wavelength cameras that can simultaneously produce images in visible and shortwave infrared (SWIR) wavelengths, the technology would allow users to capture images in the darkest of night conditions using a new wavelength band and enable backward compatibility with older imaging technologies.
Goodrich’s team of SWIR specialists has concentrated its efforts on minimizing weight and size of an optical assembly for long-range imaging. The new device would feature a higher resolution than currently available in a small array; higher sensitivity in dark or low-light conditions; and the potential to lower the cost per camera system unit.
Goodrich expects to design the resulting camera for both military and civilian applications, including covert surveillance, spectroscopy or spectra analysis and hot-end process inspection, employed by glass and metal manufacturers to increase production capabilities and yields.
