AAI to Provide Test Systems for CV-22 Fleet

AAI Test & Training, based in Hunt Valley, Md., was awarded a $7.7 million contract to provide Advanced Boresight Equipment (ABE) for the U.S. Air Force and Special Operations Command (SOCOM) Bell Boeing CV-22 Osprey fleets.

ABE is a gyro-stabilized, electro-optical angular measurement system designed to align aircraft subsystems. Because the ABE system supports concurrent maintenance and does not require aircraft to be jacked and leveled during testing, both depot- and operational-level users can maintain schedules and reduce maintenance costs, according to the company. These features also support increased manufacturing throughput for OEMs.

The company has already delivered more than 40 ABE systems to the Air Force supporting more than 10 different aircraft platforms. In addition, SOCOM has utilized AAI Test & Training's ABE to align its fixed-wing aircraft fleet for more than five years.

"ABE's long-standing reliability for so many aircraft platforms speaks for itself," says Senior Vice President and General Manager Robert Peters of AAI Test & Training. "More than 160 of our ABE systems have been fielded by the U.S. Air Force, Navy, Army and Marine Corps, as well as our allies around the world, in support of 24 different aircraft platforms."

Source: 7 February 2012  (www.aviationtoday.com)

Photo: Special Operations Command (SOCOM) Bell Boeing CV-22 (Photo by hade.ch)

(7.02.2012)