DOW-UT DELIVERS FIRST COMPOSITE TAIL FAIRING FOR F-22 RAPTOR, CUTTING COST OF COMPONENT BY 55%
DOW-UT CONTINUES TO EXPAND USE OF ITS ADVANCED RESIN TRANSFER MOLDING (AdvRTM™) PROCESS; REPLACING TITANIUM IN F-22 RAPTOR SECTIONS ALSO WILL HELP REDUCE COST
WALLINGFORD, Conn., Sept. 11, 1998 -- For advanced, high performance military aircraft, reducing weight typically results in increased performance. Coupling greater performance with cost reductions is the Holy Grail of military procurement programs.
Dow-United Technologies Composite Products, Inc., today announced the delivery of a new section of the F-22 advanced tactical fighter that will reduce the weight of the component by 47 percent -- and the cost by 55 percent.
Dow-UT delivered to The Boeing Company a new composite section for the US Air Force's F-22 next generation air superiority fighter. Specifically, aft boom fairings, two per aircraft, will be used by The Boeing Company, as the joint between the aft boom and the horizontal tails.
The composite fairings, made with resins reinforced with carbon fiber, will replace titanium components that were installed on the first two F-22 aircraft ordered by the Air Force. The new composite aft boom fairings weight 25 pounds less than their titanium counterparts.
General Michael C. Mushala, F-22 system program director, US Air Force, said, "we are continually looking for new ways to improve ultimate performance of our aircraft while we identify ways to reduce manufacturing costs. Dow-UT has found us a way to do both."
"Reduced weight may allow us to add fuel to the aircraft, thereby increasing its range. Reduced weight may allow us to add armaments, increasing this aircraft's power to deter any foe," General Mushala said. "The greater the power of the F-22, the less likely any other nation will attempt to challenge the United States of America."
Lockheed Martin and Boeing are teamed to build the stealthy F-22 Raptor as a replacement for the F-15 currently in use by the Air Force. The Pratt & Whitney division of United Technologies is manufacturing the engines. The team is now building 11 developmental F-22s, and the Air Force plans to purchase an additional 339 F-22 aircraft.
Dow-UT is supplying the aft boom fairings to Boeing under an expansion of earlier contracts to manufacture 44 composite wing spars for each of the first 11 F-22 fighters. Dow-UT also supplies an additional 94 composite parts, per aircraft, for F-22 prime contractor Lockheed-Martin.
The fairings represent a $722,000 addition to Dow-UT's earlier $30.2 million contracts for F-22 components. All of these components, including the fairings, are made through a proprietary Dow-UT process called Advanced Resin Transfer Molding (AdvRTM™). This process results in greater quality, increased production rates and an ability to manufacture more complex composite parts than in the past.
Robert Barnes, Boeing vice president and F-22 program managers, said, "Dow-UT's recent advancements in the manufacture of composites has allowed us to reduce the recurring cost of each fairing by 55 percent. They are enabling us to use these strong, light weight materials in sections of airplanes where only metals were appropriate in the past."
Earlier in the F-22 program, Boeing praised Dow-UT because its AdvRTM wing spars will result in a savings of approximately $250,000, on average, per aircraft. The cost is compared with more traditional forms of composites manufacturing. The savings from using AdvRTM for the fairings will be in addition to the $250,000.
"Unlike other production methods for composites, these fairings were manufactured in one piece," said Bruce E. Alspach, Dow-UT President. "At eleven feet long and about 12 inches wide, with substantial contouring and detail, these fairings, once again, show that our AdvRTM process allows composites to be used where only metal would do in the past."
Dow-United Technologies Composite Products is a joint venture of The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE-DOW) and United Technologies Corp. (NYSE-UTX). Dow-UT manufactures composite components for its aerospace customers using pre-impregnated molding and Advanced Resin Transfer Molding (AdvRTM™) for complex satellite structures, aircraft structures and jet engines.
Besides its corporate headquarters and manufacturing facility in Wallingford, Dow-UT operates additional manufacturing facilities at Tallassee, Alabama.