CHARLOTTE, N.C., April 17 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Last month Northrop Grumman's RQ-4 Block Global Hawk unmanned aircraft left Northrop's Palmdale, Calif. facility and successfully landed at Edwards Air Force Base, also in Calif. The historical landing marked the first time Goodrich Corporation's (NYSE: GR) electrically-actuated braking system has flown on a production basis.
Northrop Grumman's Principal Engineer Eric Lutz stated, "The landing was extremely smooth as the aircraft decelerated with remarkable accuracy down the centerline. After initial on-wing tuning, the electric braking system has performed flawlessly throughout all our taxi tests and this historical first flight."
Integration of the braking system was performed by Goodrich's Troy, Ohio-based Aircraft Wheels and Brakes team. The brake includes electromechanical actuators and system control from Goodrich's Sensors and Integrated Systems team facilities in Vergennes, Vt. and Cedar Knolls, N.J.
According to Larry Isenbarger, Program Manager for Goodrich's Aircraft Wheels and Brakes team, "Global Hawk's first landing with a production electric braking system heralds the dawn of new braking technology for both manned and unmanned aircraft. This milestone reinforces Goodrich's position as a technology leader and innovator. In conjunction with Northrop Grumman, we bring yet another technological advance to an aircraft that has already demonstrated its significant value to the U.S. military. Furthermore, this technology has had a very successful launch in the commercial arena as it has been chosen by many operators for the innovative Boeing 787 Dreamliner."
Goodrich's Aircraft Wheels and Brakes division has been a world leader in the design, development and manufacture of commercial, military, regional and business aircraft wheels and brakes for 60 years. The division also provides aftermarket service and critical spares to the world's major airlines. It has created innovative braking systems for over 200 types of aircraft and has many more technological improvements in development.
A high-resolution image Global Hawk's historic flight is available at http://212.125.72.174/cgi-bin/goodrich/login.cgi . Simply search using key words, "Global Hawk electric brake."
Goodrich Corporation, a Fortune 500 company, is a global supplier of systems and services to aerospace, defense and homeland security markets. With one of the most strategically diversified portfolios of products in the industry, Goodrich serves a global customer base with significant worldwide manufacturing and service facilities. For more information visit http://www.goodrich.com .
Goodrich Corporation operates through its divisions and as a parent company for its subsidiaries, one or more of which may be referred to as "Goodrich Corporation" in this press release.
