Hamilton Sundstrand systems perform well in A400M tests

Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation's A400M systems have performed well throughout the aircraft's flight test programme and are supporting Airbus in its path to aircraft certification. Hamilton Sundstrand is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp..

"Hamilton Sundstrand is proud of its long and successful partnership with Airbus and EADS," said Hamilton Sundstrand President Alain Bellemare. "We are pleased to continue that relationship by playing a significant role in the crucial path for A400M's certification."

Hamilton Sundstrand supplies the A400M's Secondary Electrical Power Distribution Center (SEPDC), Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) and Ram Air Turbine (RAT) emergency power system. Ratier-Figeac of France, a Hamilton Sundstrand business, supplies the A400M's Trimmable Horizontal Stabilizer Actuator (THSA), the Throttle Control Assembly (TCA) and its Propeller System.

The A400M's Propeller System, which is 17.5 feet in diameter and produces 11,000 shaft horsepower, enables the aircraft to cruise comfortably at Mach 0.72. The Propeller System is manufactured at Hamilton Sundstrand's Ratier-Figeac business, in Figeac, France, and has eight full composite blades made with carbon spar and composite shell.

The SEPDC provides switching and protection for the aircraft's approximately 1,000 electrical loads using solid state power controller technology. It also controls up to 15 utility functions.

The A400M APU, which received its Technical Standard Order (TSO) C77b by the European Aviation Safety Agency in May this year, provides pneumatic power for starting the main engines, and electric and pneumatic power to operate aircraft systems when the engines are not running.

The RAT provides 43 kVA of electrical power to critical loads in the event of a total power loss.

The entirely fly-by-wire THSA controls the plane's tail position through the flight control computer. At 1.5 meters long, it is one of the largest and most powerful THSAs ever built for a military aircraft.

The Throttle Control Assembly (TCA) is part of the Cockpit Systems and allows the pilot to control the powerplant (Engines and Propeller Systems). The TCA movable soft detent device provides the powerplant rate information to the pilots and helps for Auto-pilot disconnection.

Source: Hamilton Sundstrand

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