BAE Systems will produce Black Hawk engine controls

Engineers at the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command (AMCOM) at Redstone Arsenal, Ala., needed spare electronic control units for the GE T700 engines installed on UH-60A Black Hawk helicopters.

They found a solution with BAE Systems in Fort Wayne, Ind. BAE will deliver 400 spares by March 2009 under the $10.6 million contract.

The electronic control unit (ECU) is a computer that processes sensor inputs such as air speed, pressure, altitude, engine speed, and temperature. It sends signals to servomotors that drive valves that control fuel and air flow.

BAE Systems has produced ECUs for T700 engines since 1985. The engines, in various configurations, power the entire Black Hawk fleet, as well as SH-60 Seahawks and AH-64 Apaches. For more information, see www.na.baesystems.com.