KATSUHIKO HAMADA, ENGINEERING STAFF manager at Sumitomo Precision Products and leader of the Japanese company's 100-seat regional-jet air-conditioning system co-development team (left), and Greg DeFrancesco, Hamilton Standard's chief engineer and co-development team leader, prepare an air-conditioning pack for testing at Hamilton's Connecticut, US site. Hamilton and Sumitomo are developing the advanced air-conditioning system jointly for planned next-generation 100-seat regional jets, such as the AirExpress AE-100 and IPTN N2130. Development of the system began in 1995, with component testing getting under way in May this year. System tests began in June and are scheduled to continue through the end of 1996, according to Hamilton's manager of large commercial environmental-control-systems business, Mark Grant. The regional-jet environmental-control system is based on a scaled-down version of a unit, which the company supplies for the Boeing 777 adds Grant.
Source: Flight International
