A Chilean Navy Pilatus PC-7 Source: Chilean Navy A Chilean Navy Pilatus PC-7 Source: Chilean Navy Close

Prime Turbines, LLC is a subsidiary of VSE Aviation, Inc., a VSE Corporation company. Prime Turbines is a leading, independent PT6A maintenance, repair and overhaul company headquartered in Carrollton, Texas.

Chile currently operates seven PC-7s. In addition to training duty, the aircraft perform maritime interdictions. Chile originally received 10 aircraft from Switzerland in 1980 to replace aging T-34s. However, attrition losses, including one that crashed into the Pacific Ocean in 1999, has reduced that number of seven.

It is not clear if Chile will eventually overhaul engines on all seven aircraft. With all of the aircraft around the same age, it seems likely that they will all eventually need work sooner rather than later. Having already gained a contract to work on two of the aircraft, Prime Turbines is in a good place to get contracts for the rest of the work.

Source: GE Aviation Source: GE Aviation Close

Just five years after breaking ground, CMC production at the site is thriving. Shroud production rates for the LEAP program have more than tripled each year since the site opened. Today, these Asheville-produced shrouds have surpassed more than 1.5 million flight hours on the 800+ LEAP engines in commercial airline service.

The LEAP is the world’s best-selling jet engine with a current backlog of more than 15,500 engines - translating to over 300,000 shrouds for the GE Aviation Asheville team to produce.

CMCs are a super material that is as tough as metals, but only one-third as heavy and can operate at 2,400 degrees Fahrenheit - 500 degrees higher than the most advanced alloys. When incorporated in today’s commercial engine, CMC can save millions of dollars annually for airline fleets. A 1 percent reduction in fuel consumption can save more than $1 million a year for commercial air carriers. This next generation CMC material technology being produced by GE Aviation will improve fuel efficiency at 1 to 2 percent.

Still, there’s more work on the Western Carolina horizon. In May, GE Aviation Asheville began delivering CMC components for the GE9X, the world’s largest commercial jet engine. With an 11-foot diameter, the GE9X can generate more than 100,000 pounds of thrust. By the end of 2018, GE Aviation Asheville will deliver five separate CMC parts for this engine, which is scheduled to enter service by the end of the decade on the Boeing 777X.

As the demand for CMCs has grown, so has the workforce at the site. In 2013, GE Aviation broke ground on the $126-million, 170,000-square foot Asheville CMC facility - just a short walk to its Rotating Parts plant. Around 340 employees were projected for the site five years ago. In March, GE Aviation Asheville announced an additional 131 employee, $105 million investment which could grow the workforce to approximately 555 employees.

In just 10 years, GE Aviation has spent more than $1.5 billion to bring advanced CMC technology to market. Beyond GE’s Global Research Center in Niskayuna (NY), this investment includes four production facilities in Cincinnati, OH; Newark, DE; Huntsville, AL; and Toyama, Japan.

Source: Pratt & Whitney Source: Pratt & Whitney Close

Series production of the MALD is underway. Deliveries of the jammer version began in the fall of 2012. Procurement by the U.S. Air Force is projected to exceed 3,000 units, split between the decoy and jammer versions. A version for use on naval combat aircraft is in development and a U.S. Navy purchase could add to this production total.

Raytheon is working on expanding the MALD's capability beyond the current decoy and jamming functions. Potential missions include missile interception, reconnaissance, anti-armor, standoff strike, and aerial targeting. In the future, the U.S. may field a version equipped with a high-power microwave (HPM).

Sales to foreign customers could boost orders for the MALD family. These export orders could account for 35 to 40 percent of all production over the forecast period.

The MBDA's SPEAR 3 is a follow-on to the company's Brimstone 2 missile. The SPEAR 3, which is expected to be available in the early 2020s, will provide the U.K. with a missile that offers much greater range than the Brimstone. The new missile will be available in the early 2020s. The U.K. will be the initial customer for the SPEAR 3, and the export market will probably be limited.

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