Rheinmetall Wins Order to Supply Air Start Units for Civilian Aircraft at U.S. Airports

Rheinmetall has won an order to supply one of the world's largest carriers with air start units for civilian aircraft.

The Düsseldorf-based technology group has once again been selected to supply air start units for use at U.S. airports. Awarded in May 2017, the order is in the single-digit million-euro region.

Rheinmetall's MSU 200 is a gas turbine-powered air start unit that uses highly compressed air to start military and civilian aircraft engines. With around 1,100 units sold in over 40 countries, Rheinmetall is now a globally established supplier of air start units.

The MSU 200's drive concept, which generates an air mass flow of 200 pounds per minute, is one of a kind worldwide. Besides helping them to start their engines, the units also supply compressed air for running the air conditioning system on board the aircraft.

Airports need air start units ready in case a plane's auxiliary power unit (APU) fails, making external help necessary to start the engines.

The service life of a Rheinmetall MSU 200 is approximately 20 years, making them an economical and dependable solution for operators.

Rheinmetall has been successfully serving the ground support equipment (GSE) market since 1996. Every year, some 60 systems leave the Rheinmetall plant in Kiel, Germany.

A globe-spanning group specializing in mobility and security, Rheinmetall drew on company-internal know-how to establish itself as a leading supplier of pneumatic start systems for the world's airports.