Technical Directions manufactures the TDI-J85, the 200lb-thrust jet engine. This engine equips the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory's (AFRL) Gray Wolf low-cost cruise missile. The Gray Wolf prime contractor is Northrop Grumman. Technical Directions is located about an hour north of Detroit, Michigan.

Technical Directions builds three other jet turbines, including the 30lb-thurst TDI-J45, the 55lb-thurst TDI-J5 and the 100lb-thrust TDI-J7. The engines are designed to be inexpensive enough to be expendable.

Source:  Flight
Associated URL: Click here to visit

Following recent U.S. installations, the first Canadian installation on a PC-12 Legacy with the G600 flight deck was just completed. ThrustSense has already been TCCA certified and operating in Canada as part of the PC-12 IS&S integrated NexGen cockpit. Installations can be completed by any PC-12 Service Center.

The IS&S ThrustSense Autothrottle is a full regime autothrottle from take-off roll to landing phases of flight including go-around. ThrustSense incorporates engine and speed exceedance protection and during high pilot workload prevents the airplane from getting dangerously slow or fast and protects against over-torque and over-temp enhancing the safety and capability of the PC-12 Legacy and NG. Command of the revolutionary autothrottle is housed in an easy to install Flight Instrument Standby that provides standby functionality and allows for no structural modifications to the existing throttle quadrant.

The ThrustSense Autothrottle is available as a standalone installation on the PC-12 Legacy and NG or integrated with the IS&S NextGen Flight Deck for retrofit on the PC-12 Legacy. The ThrustSense Autothrottle is also certified on the King Air platform and features certified VMCa protection against loss of control.

Source:  Innovative Solutions & Support
Associated URL: Click here to visit

The U.S. Navy continues to procure the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, which is powered by twin F414 engines. The service and Boeing have successfully lobbied Congress to extend production of the Super Hornet to keep the F/A-18 line open in case the Navy's newest fighter, the F-35C, is delayed even further. The service's current plan calls for procurement to end in FY21, but we think the Navy will continue to order more aircraft each year.

Meanwhile, Kuwait ordered 28 Super Hornets in March 2018 - 22 single-seat E models and six dual-seat F models. Boeing will deliver most of the aircraft in 2020.

Saab's next-generation Gripen fighter also uses the F414. Only the Swedish Air Force and Brazil's Air Force have ordered this model, and production is likely to be low throughout the forecast period.

The Korean-made T-50 jet trainer and its FA-50 light fighter variant, and India's Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), use the F404. The Indian Tejas program has suffered from long delays and is now ramping up production of an initial overweight and underpowered "Mk 1" version of the light fighter. The Indian government is currently planning to acquire over 100 LCAs in the coming years. HAL is developing an upgraded "Mk 2" version featuring the more powerful F414 engine, but it is increasingly likely that this variant will never enter service. We no longer forecast production of the F414 for this application.

One major new application for the F404 is the Boeing/Saab T-7A jet trainer that will replace the U.S. Air Force's fleet of over 400 elderly T-38 jet trainers through the service's T-X program. The all-new aircraft will also be a strong competitor on the world jet trainer market. Production of the F404 engine for this program will be the major driver of the program in the out years.

Source:  Forecast International
Associated URL: forecastinternational.com
Author: Douglas Royce, Aviation Gas Turbines