Web Page sponsor Oxley Developments
www.oxleygroup.com
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18 Jul 16. Oxley signs a new business agreement with Saab extending their successful collaboration in leading edge LED lighting systems for the next generation of Saab Gripen fighter aircraft. Under this agreement, signed at the Farnborough International Airshow, Oxley will collaborate with Saab on the new Gripen E aircraft programme creating the most competitive and reliable external aircraft lighting systems solutions available while offering enhanced functionality and increased optical performance. Oxley has already been working with Saab to provide the complete suite of external LED based lighting systems on board the C and D variations of the multirole JAS 39 Gripen fighter aircraft. The lighting suite includes high intensity landing and taxi lights, wing tip, tail, and position lights including the control electronics for enhanced optical mode functionality. These were all designed to offer substantial savings in terms of cost of ownership through much improved reliability and reduced maintenance requirements.
In addition, for the Gripen E aircraft, Oxley is currently utilising leading LED technology to develop a bespoke air to air refuelling lighting system and a new anti-collision light. Oxley LED lights are designed to deliver sustained improved performance in the most arduous conditions and offer significant through-life cost benefits to the operators while being fully integrated within the airframe of the aircraft. Mean Time Between Failure is in excess of 13,000 hours for the landing light and 14,000 hours for the taxi light, compared to halogen units which typically require replacement after as little as 2.5 hours of service in these environments. These lights also exceed current operational requirements; the NVG friendly landing light delivers a peak intensity greater than 200,000cd, while the taxi light has a peak intensity of over 27,000cd.
Commenting on this development, Oxley Group CEO, Martin Blakstad said, ‘We are delighted to have been selected by Saab and to sign this business agreement to provide leading edge, high performance, cost effective lighting systems. This agreement, based on both of our companies’ proven and innovative technologies, reflects our long-term strategic relationship with Saab, both as a key customer and as a product technology development partner’.
21 Jul 16. F-15E demonstrates new display system. Boeing demonstrated an improved display computer system on a US Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles earlier this month, uniting the host of upgrades the service will implement on its F-15Es and F-15Cs. On 8 July the F-15E recorded its first flight with the Advanced Display Core Processor. The high-speed processor can handle new capabilities on the fighter including a long-range infrared search and track capability and an improved electronic warfare suite called the Eagle Passive/Active Warning Survivability System, a July 20 air force press release states. Last August, the Defense Department also awarded a contract to IEE to upgrade the cathode-ray tube displays on the F-15E to a modern multi-purpose display. Boeing is equipping the improved F-15E with the Raytheon APG-82(V)1 active electronically-scanned array (AESA) radar, friend or foe identification and a joint helmet mounted cueing system (JHMCS). That technology represented an impressive improvement for the fighter jet, but their full capability could not translate to the pilot without new displays and processors. (Source: Defense News Early Bird/Flightglobal)
21 Jul 16. DOD Weapons Tester Blasts Army Radio Ahead of Production Decision. The Pentagon’s chief weapons tester has issued a scathing report on the Mid-Tier Networking Vehicular Radio (MNVR), just as the US Army prepares to make a production decision for the system.
“MNVR did not meet commanders’ operational needs for a mid-tier network