October 19, 2007
EADS North America will expand its U.S. industrial profile and generate additional high-value American jobs with a new West Virginia production facility, which will be created if Northrop Grumman’s KC-30 Tanker is selected to replace the U.S. Air Force’s aging KC-135 aerial refueling fleet.
The Bridgeport, West Virginia installation will manufacture EADS’ advanced Aerial Refueling Boom System (ARBS) for the KC-30 Tanker, and is to be collocated with a Sargent Fletcher plant – creating a center of excellence for in-flight refueling technology and production. This project represents an investment of over $8.5 million in West Virginia, and will create 100-plus jobs when full employment levels are reached.
“At EADS North America, we are proud to bring critical technologies, high value jobs and growth to the communities in which we do business – and we are firmly committed to our role and obligation as strong U.S. corporate citizens,” said EADS Chairman and CEO Ralph D. Crosby, Jr. “Good citizenship requires that we support the regions in which we operate, effectively partner for success, bring our technology and products, and work hard to create opportunities for personal growth. Today, we make this commitment to West Virginia.”
Speaking at a press conference in West Virginia’s capital city of Charleston, Crosby said the Bridgeport industrial center will produce the most important equipment carried on a military tanker – the refueling systems that make its vital mission a reality.
“Today’s announcement is not only important for the state of West Virginia, the city of Bridgeport, and our two companies – it is even more important to the men and women who will fly our nation’s tankers for the next 50 years, and also those who go in harm’s way every day,” Crosby added. “That’s who we’re really here to serve and support.”
The new industrial site, located at the North Central West Virginia Regional Airport, will consist of a 32,000-sq.-ft. facility for the supply of EADS’ fly-by-wire boom system, plus a 25,000-sq-ft. plant for the assembly of Sargent Fletcher’s under-wing hose and drogue pod systems. This combination of refueling systems for the KC-30 will allow it to service both U.S. and allied aircraft, and their advanced design will be adaptable to the Air Force’s refueling requirements throughout the tanker’s operational life.
Crosby said West Virginia was chosen after an examination of several potential U.S. locations, with the decision factors including a strong combination of location, community support and skilled workforce.
West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin – a rated pilot who has flown on the Air Force’s current KC-135 refueling aircraft and operated its boom system – said the KC-30 Tanker will provide a major technological step forward for America’s warfighters.
“I’ve seen how it is to be lying on your stomach in the back of the tanker, trying to fly today’s boom,” Manchin told the press conference attendees. “With the ingenuity and determination of EADS North America, we will be able go to the next level of technology for our country’s defense.”
For West Virginia, the new aerial refueling center of excellence will bring good paying jobs with benefits to the state, and it opens the door to additional opportunities with aerospace and defense contractors, Manchin said.
The KC-30 Tanker’s centerline-mounted EADS boom will be controlled by an operator seated at the RARO (Remote Aerial Refueling Operator) console behind the cockpit. The RARO station uses a 3D-vision surveillance system, giving a high-fidelity visual representation of the boom’s deployment. In addition, EADS’ application of fly-by-wire technology provides highly accurate control for the advanced boom, and significantly improves its maintainability.
Also incorporated on the KC-30 Tanker will be Sargent Fletcher’s all-digital FRL 905E-series hose and drogue refueling pods, located under the wings. Sargent Fletcher has been the leader in military hose and drogue refueling systems for over 65 years, supplying refueling pods for all of the U.S. armed forces.
“As with the EADS boom, our KC-30 Tanker hose and drogue refueling system will be a proven, low risk solution that meets the Air Force’s demanding requirements, provides low life cycle costs, and creates commonality across the service’s inventory,” said Sargent Fletcher President and CEO Patrick O’Connor.
He noted that Sargent Fletcher and its Cobham parent company have manufactured over 2,000 aerial refueling pods, along with more than 1 million external fuel tanks and in excess of 1,000 special purpose pods.
Both the Sargent Fletcher FRL 905E-series refueling pods and EADS’ advanced boom for the KC-30 Tanker also have been selected to equip Australia’s KC-30B tanker fleet, with the first Royal Australian Air Force aircraft already outfitted with these systems.
