Tuesday
May 22, 2001 :
MH-53E Helicopter Order Awarded to Radian's Military Parts Reinvention Network
ALEXANDRIA, Virginia, USA ( Radian Inc Press Release ) -
The Military Parts Reinvention Network http://www.milparts.net, a Radian Technology Group, announces the award of a re-engineering and production order for reinvented parts. The USMC MH-53E Sea Dragon Helicopter is the Western world's largest helicopter.
The MH-53E is used primarily for Airborne Mine Countermeasures (AMCM), with a secondary mission of shipboard delivery. Additional mission capabilities include air-to-air refueling, hover in-flight refueling, search and rescue, and external cargo transport operations, in both land and seaborne environments. The MH-53E was derived from the CH-53E Super Stallion and is heavier and has a greater fuel capacity than its ancestor. The MH-53Es can operate from carriers and other warships.
The extended service life mandate for the MH-53E has led to life-cycle support requirements exceeding the originally intended service life. One example is the engine nacelle cowlings. There have been several reported incidents of MH-53E Helicopter engine nacelle cowling failures. On many helicopters the nacelle cowlings have splintered or shattered. Broken pieces have damaged the main rotors. The re-manufacture of the engine nacelle cowlings has been identified as the number one item on the readiness degrader list.
To address this requirement and provide a rapid resolution, a three-phase approach is required. The phases are: (1) Design Baseline: Development of a Digital Technical Data Package (D-TDP); (2) Production Baseline: Creation of Production Tooling, Fabrication of First Articles, and Performance of a Fitment Test; and (3) Production: Fabrication and Assembly of 194 ship sets, each comprising a port and starboard engine nacelle cowling.
The ordering activity is the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), Patuxent River, MD. Under the award, Radian MILPARTS will re-engineer new parts using original material removed from an in-service helicopter and create a technical data package suitable for state-of-the-market manufacturing.
The design baseline is scheduled for completion within 90 days. The production baseline is scheduled within another 90 days. Production replacement nacelle cowlings are scheduled immediately after first article qualification.
Radian Inc. is a leading provider of engineering, logistics, and technology services to Department of Defense, civilian agencies, and commercial clients. Radian successfully leverages a unique combination of institutional knowledge and technical expertise to bring progressive solutions to the marketplace. Radian's Military Parts (MILPARTS) Reinvention Network technology offers a truly state-of-the-art solution to the rapidly growing parts obsolescence dilemma.
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