Dunlop Aircraft Tyres, is at the Paris air show to debut its new radial tyres for the Lockheed Martin F-35B. The Birmingham, UK-based manufacturer says it will provide the mainwheel tyres for every short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) variant of the advanced stealth fighter.
The tyres, currently undergoing testing, will feature on all 399 F-35Bs that are due to be delivered to armed forces in Italy, the USA and the UK, which also has options on a further 92 F-35Bs.
Dunlop is displaying the new tyres for regional and single-aisle airliners at the show. Among the new products being exhibited on the company's stand are radial mainwheel tyres for Embraer 170 regional jets and ATR 72 turboprops.
"Dunlop has a successful track record on regional airliners and already supplies tyres to support the vast majority of Embraer E-jets in service around the world," says company chairman Ian Edmondson.
"We are now building on this success by providing a wider choice of tyres for airlines operating this aircraft and, within the coming months, we will become even more competitive in the regional aircraft marketplace with the launch of the ATR 72 tyre," he adds.
Visitors to the Dunlop exhibit can also view the company's new foreign object damage resistance tyre technology, which is an integral feature on the tyres for the Airbus A400M military transport aircraft. "The new tyre features the proven sidewall FOD resistance of bias tyres, which are more suited to operations from semi and unprepared airstrips, as well as advanced materials designed to give improved protection in the tread area, Dunlop says.
Source: Flight Daily News