A company that has been making aviation actuators for more than 80 years is holding its breath here this week in anticipation of an announcement from missile giant MBDS about one of Europe’s newest programmes.
London-based Muirhead Aerospace specialises in motors and electromechanical systems for flight control and other applications.
Its current headline programmes include the motor in the electrical/hydraulic back-up actuator for the A380 spoiler system, and motors and actuators for the Meteor air-to-air missile.
Now the company is bidding against two other companies to supply electromechanical actuation to one of the two providers vying for the boost section of the new SCALP Navale cruise missile. “MBDS is expected to make an announcement this week,” says Simon Coverdale, Muirhead’s sales and marketing director. “We’re hoping the decision will go to our customer so that we can add another major missile programme to our honours board.”
Muirhead is also pitching its electromechanical actuator (EMA) technology on a number of helicopter and business jet programmes. “There’s a strong industry trend away from hydraulic actuation and towards electromechanical,” says Coverdale. “EMA is cheaper than hydraulic over the life of the aircraft and significantly lighter at system level because it eliminates the need for weighty pumps and fluid lines.”
Source: Flight Daily News