Engine Controls Take Flight to a Cleaner Future
June 15, 2020 | BAE SystemsEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
Mounted to the side of a jet engine is a set of high-tech electronics roughly the size of a personal computer. These smart, digital controls pack enough punch to optimize engine performance in aircraft of all sizes, even in the harshest conditions.
They monitor and manage engine performance – reducing cost, driving efficiency, and improving safety of flight. They use a series of sensors to keep an eye on the current flight conditions and how the engine is running. The controls use that information to adjust fuel flow, air bypass, and other engine parameters to get the best performance from the engine. This technology has served as the brains of aircraft engines for decades, and it has been improved with every new generation of engines.
Improving the system
The rise in greenhouse gases has airlines considering how they can reduce aircraft emissions and save on fuel – with the eventual goal of going all-electric. While the first commercial electric-hybrid or all-electric flight may be years away, we are clearly trending in that direction. To prepare for this, we have been investing in core technologies to reduce the size and weight of our controls. This has resulted in our controls being 40 percent smaller and lighter than their original size and weight, but with 10 times the processing power.
In addition to size and power improvements, we are making our technology safer and more reliable. We are adding protections against threats you cannot see, like cyber-attacks. BAE Systems is also refining the prognostic systems to predict when a failure may occur to enable airlines to plan maintenance.
Decades of experience
We’re backing our investments with deep industry knowledge and expertise. Our first-generation engine controls took flight in the early 1990s and have logged 1.5 billion flight hours. Today, our engine controls are on more than 30,000 aircraft around the world. We stand by those products from the moment they leave our production factory until their last day of service. Our aftermarket support maintains the technology through its full lifecycle and keeps planes flying safely.
Another way we are preparing for electric flight is pairing our experience in engine controls with more than 20 years of expertise in energy management systems. BAE Systems’ electric power and propulsion technology powers more than 12,000 buses, trucks and marine vessels around the world. Those systems not only save fuel, but eliminate 250,000 tons of carbon dioxide from the air each year.
As transportation technology advances toward a greener tomorrow, the power sources for flight will change dramatically. BAE Systems is pioneering the key technologies today – and setting the standard – to get us there tomorrow.
Suggested Items
KIC’s Miles Moreau to Present Profiling Basics and Best Practices at SMTA Wisconsin Chapter PCBA Profile Workshop
01/25/2024 | KICKIC, a renowned pioneer in thermal process and temperature measurement solutions for electronics manufacturing, announces that Miles Moreau, General Manager, will be a featured speaker at the SMTA Wisconsin Chapter In-Person PCBA Profile Workshop.
The Drive Toward UHDI and Substrates
09/20/2023 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamPanasonic’s Darren Hitchcock spoke with the I-Connect007 Editorial Team on the complexities of moving toward ultra HDI manufacturing. As we learn in this conversation, the number of shifting constraints relative to traditional PCB fabrication is quite large and can sometimes conflict with each other.
Standard Of Excellence: The Products of the Future
09/19/2023 | Anaya Vardya -- Column: Standard of ExcellenceIn my last column, I discussed cutting-edge innovations in printed circuit board technology, focusing on innovative trends in ultra HDI, embedded passives and components, green PCBs, and advanced substrate materials. This month, I’m following up with the products these new PCB technologies are destined for. Why do we need all these new technologies?
Experience ViTrox's State-of-the-Art Offerings at SMTA Guadalajara 2023 Presented by Sales Channel Partner—SMTo Engineering
09/18/2023 | ViTroxViTrox, which aims to be the world’s most trusted technology company, is excited to announce that our trusted Sales Channel Partner (SCP) in Mexico, SMTo Engineering, S.A. de C.V., will be participating in SMTA Guadalajara Expo & Tech Forum. They will be exhibiting in Booth #911 from the 25th to the 26th of October 2023, at the Expo Guadalajara in Jalisco, Mexico.
Intel Unveils Industry-Leading Glass Substrates to Meet Demand for More Powerful Compute
09/18/2023 | IntelIntel announced one of the industry’s first glass substrates for next-generation advanced packaging, planned for the latter part of this decade.