Fairchild Controls to Validate a Next-Gen Cooling System for Aircraft Avionics

(Frederick, Maryland, March 10, 2010) -- Fairchild Controls Corporation, an EADS North America company, has signed a teaming agreement with the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to evaluate innovative cooling system technologies for avionics and mission systems aboard military aircraft.

The Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) will result in the joint development and operation of a multiple-evaporator vapor cycle system prototype at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio.

The next-generation cooling system will use multiple independent evaporators to provide variable cooling to electronic equipment, eliminating the need for an auxiliary liquid cooling loop. This concept - developed by Fairchild Controls for the Air Force - has the potential to reduce power consumption, minimize weight, and improve overall reliability for military aircraft.

Additionally, the advanced vapor cycle system design is expected to significantly improve mission performance by enabling the avionics to operate under precisely controlled isothermal conditions. To begin the evaluation process, Fairchild Controls will work with AFRL scientists, engineers and technicians in designing and building an experimental test stand, which will be installed at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

"Our common goal is to prove new concepts and develop innovative technology that will benefit U.S. and allied warfighters for decades to come," said Fairchild Controls President Scott Selle. "This is our second alliance with the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory and we'll build on the strong working relationship we've already established."

Under the terms of a separate contract awarded in May 2009, Fairchild Controls is part of an industry team that is developing new concepts and system architectures for an Adaptive Power and Thermal Management System (APTMS) with the Air Force Research Laboratory. The APTMS is one of three focal areas addressed in the AFRL's Integrated Vehicle Energy Technology (INVENT) Program, and the system has successfully passed its initial program design review milestone.

"These are advantageous projects with AFRL that allow the Fairchild Controls team to work with some of the best research and development scientists in the industry," Selle added.

Source : European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company EADS N.V. (Paris: EAD.PA) - click here for more information