Valencia, California, July 15, 2010 – Hartzell Aerospace has been awarded a long term contract by LMI Aerospace, Inc. to design and supply the APU inlet and exhaust components for the Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ), expected to enter into service in 2014.
Hartzell Aerospace will be responsible for the component design from the joint development phase, through to aircraft certification and product support, and has been working with the LMI/MRJ team members for almost a year. Hartzell Aerospace will provide the engineering required to meet the program schedule and expectations including: design, analysis, testing, certification support, and tool design. Design and manufacturing will be supplied by AcousticFab, LLC in Sanford FL. The APU inlet and exhaust are critical components of the tail cone assembly awarded to LMI. Hartzell-designed inlet systems provide noise attenuated, flow balanced air to the APU. Properly profiled exhaust nozzles and systems dissipate hot exhaust gas, while optimizing sound reduction to ensure the lowest possible ramp noise at aircraft service locations. The inlet and exhaust will include noise attenuation treatment to meet the noise requirements of the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) noise management. To meet this requirement, Hartzell Aerospace is using its proprietary noise treatment material, Acousti-Flo® 2.2.
“This is the third major program award for Hartzell Aerospace in the last six months and we are very proud to be member of the LMI MRJ team,” said Simon Shackelton, vice president of sales and marketing for Hartzell Aerospace. “With two new design-build programs for APU inlets and exhausts, we are placing ourselves in a great position to be the preeminent supplier of APU kits for future programs. Our technical strength and total value is very evident to our customers.”
Hartzell Aerospace's sound attenuation technology is used in a variety of APU and ECS applications for transport and business jet aircraft including: Boeing 787, Bombardier Q400, Comac ARJ 21, Embraer 135/145, Embraer 170/190, Hawker 4000, Hawker 900XP. Hartzell Aerospace comprises a group of companies owned by Tailwind Technologies Inc. and includes Industrial Tube Co. LLC, AcousticFab LLC and Electrofilm Manufacturing Co. LLC. The companies’ products have been in service for over 40 years, providing specialized OEM and aftermarket engineered applications including: ice protection, freeze protection, and surface and air heaters; noise control for ECS and APU applications; and composite and elastomer ducting and structures. Tailwind Technologies is also parent company to Hartzell Propeller of Piqua, Ohio, Mayday Manufacturing and Hi-Tech Metal finishing, both of Denton, Texas.
