Farnborough (UK), 12 July 2016 – Avio Aero and IONES have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for future cooperation on the development and integration of their products for the KF-X programs.
Avio Aero is participating in the KF-X bidding phase, and is a candidate to supply KAI with a newly designed gearbox to drive the aircraft hydraulic pump and main generator and to transmit power to the engines (GE F414, recently selected) during the starting phase: this piece of equipment will be designed and tested in Italy at the Avio Aero facilities, and will include the latest technological solutions adopted for the main civil and military applications developed for the aerospace market in recent years.
IONES has recently certified a PTO shaft connecting the engine to the aircraft gearbox for the T-50, and is a candidate to develop the shaft for the KF-X as well. As the sole shaft specialist for the nation's localization of high-performance power transmission for the aircraft axis, IONES uses a wide range of materials as compared with existing products, and leverages decades of accumulated processing and design technology, showing an excellent performance record and delivering light weight solutions.
If selected for the project by KAI, Avio Aero and IONES will cooperate to verify the dynamic behavior and interaction of the complete drivetrain and optimize the design of both individual components and the system as a whole, with the aim of improving the KF-X aircraft’s performance and reliability.
AVIO AERO: background information
Avio Aero is a GE Aviation business which operates in the design, manufacture and maintenance of civil and military aeronautics components and systems. It is a Centre of Excellence for the entire General Electric Group in the field of mechanical transmission systems and low pressure turbine systems. It has over 4,000 employees in Italy, spread between the main site in Rivalta di Torino, which is also home to its largest production plant, and the important facilities in Brindisi and Pomigliano d’Arco (Naples). It also has a major plant in Poland. Since 1908 – and thus for over a century now –, the company has led the way in numerous technological challenges. Through ongoing investments in research and development, and thanks to a consolidated network of contacts and relations with major international universities and research centres, Avio Aero has attained an internationally recognized level of excellence in technology and manufacturing: an achievement borne out by its partnerships with the leading global actors in the aeronautical sector. The main products powered by Avio Aero transmissions include: PW1100, PW150, GE90, GEnx, V2500, LM2500, Trent900, TP400, EJ200, and T700.
IONES: background information
IONES turned into a corporation in 2005 by developing super-precision semiconductor & display components and manufacturing equipment for the aerospace and defence industry, manufacturing industrial vacuum pump parts, cleaning and coating Nano filter material, and conducting various projects including in LED lighting for the production of green energy. Notably, as the sole shaft specialist for the nation's localization of high-performance power transmission for the aircraft axis, IONES has participated in the development of the Korean light armed helicopter project in collaboration with Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), and will participate in an advanced multirole fighter development program for the Republic of Korea’s Air Force and the Indonesian Air Force as well as in the KF-X project.