Ametek Inc.: Distinguished Supplier for Light Air Support Program

Based in Wilmington, Massachusetts, Ametek Aerospace and Defense is a prominent designer and manufacturer of electronic components and electromechanical apparatuses catering to the commercial and military aerospace industries. The Aerospace and Defense Division of the Pennsylvania-based Ametek parent company produces engineered solutions for the business jets (lightweight through intercontinental), regional aircraft (turboprop and regional jets), UAV helicopters and trainers, marine vessels, military vehicles (tracked and wheeled), and space (launch vehicle, shuttle craft, and satellite) markets. In 2013, the Sensors and Fluid Management Systems (SFMS) branch of Ametek Aerospace and Defense secured a supplier contract with the Brazilian aircraft manufacurer Embraer Defense & Security to produce electronic systems for the A-29 Super Tucano platform. Per the agreement, Ametek will deliver its cutting-edge triaxial accelerometers and AMPHION solid-state relays (SSR) for installation aboard the Embraer A-29 Super Tucano counter insurgency aircraft. Manufactured to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and 573/717 ARINC standards, the Ametek triaxial accelerometers simultaneously measures acceleration along the vertical, longitudinal, and lateral axis. Showcasing the company’s patented fail-open technology, the Ametek solid-state relay provides dependable electrical power control.

The solid-state relay marries the capabilities of a power contractor with those of an arc fault circuit breaker into one efficient package. Designed to fit into a standard M12883/48-02 socket, the Ametek solid-state relay switches inductive or incandescent loads at the full rated current (25 A at 28 VDC). The development of these A-29 Super Tucanos stems from the Light Air Support (LAS) contract the U.S.Air Force granted Embraer and its U.S.-based partner Sierra Nevada Corporation in February 2013. The USD$427 million contract calls for the production of 20 Super Tucano turboprop aircraft for the branch.In September 2014, Embraer delivered the first light-attack Super Tucano aircraft integrated with Ametek technologies to the U.S. Air Force for use in Afghanistan after the NATO troop withdrawal. In the past year, Ametek acquired a number of technologically-inclined companies to improve its offerings capabilities:

• Sunpower, Inc. (stirling-cycle machinery)
• Crystal Engineering (pressure calibrators, digital test gauge, and other monitoring equipment)
• Creaform (handheld scanners for reverse engineering and 3D scanning)
• Teseq Group (electromagnetic capability testing)
• VTI Instruments (high-precision testing equipment)

Ametek Aerospace and Defense employs a 155,000-strong workforce in the following domestic facilities:

• Wichita, Kansas
• Costa Mesa, California
• El Cajon, CA
• Tulsa, Oklahoma
• Harleysville, Pennsylvania
• Wilmington, Massachusetts
• Binghamton, New York
• Woodstock, New York
• Garden City, New York

Ametek also has international manufacturing presences in:

• • Reynosa, Mexico
  • Sunbury, UK

For the fiscal year 2013, the parent company Ametek reported sales of US$3.6 billion.

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1. henry anderson
2. Posted on October 24, 2014
aviation manufacturing

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