U.S. Air Force aircraft maintenance experts needed ground-based electrical generators to supply a variety of different power electronics voltages for military aircraft. They found their solution from Essex Electro Engineers Inc. in Schaumburg, Ill.
Officials of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center at Robins Air Force Base, Ga., announced a $16.8 million order to Essex Electro Engineers for 72-kilowatt generators to provide 400 Hz, 28- and 270-volt DC power for various aircraft maintenance tasks on Air Force aircraft.
The stand-alone, trailer-mounted, self-contained ground power units are for providing external ground power during maintenance for Air Force C-130 utility turboprop aircraft, C-17 transport jets, C-5 heavy-lift transports, B-1B jet bombers, B-2 stealth bombers, F-22 advanced tactical jet fighters, f-35 joint strike fighters, A-10 ground-support jets, KC-135 mid-air refuelers, and B-52 bombers.
The ground power units also can provide secondary power during ground maintenance for the F-15 and F-16 jet fighters. Essex Electro Engineers provides several 72-kilowatt ground power units. One example is the B809D-1, which is designed to supply 90-kilovolt-ampere, 0.8 power factor, 115- and 200-volt, three-phase, 400 Hz, 28.5- and 270-volt DC electrical power for starting and servicing aircraft.
The unit consists of a diesel engine driving a 400-cycle brushless generator, which supplies 400-cycle power for servicing aircraft. The unit is mounted on a four-wheel steerable trailer inside a metal enclosure to protect the unit from the weather. It can operate in temperatures from -40 to 125 degrees Fahrenheit, can operate at altitudes as high as 8,000 feet, and can burn a variety of diesel and aircraft fuels from DF-1 to JP-8.
For this order, Essex Electro Engi- neers will do the work in Schaum- burg, Ill., and should be finished by January 2018.
FOR MORE INFORMATION visit Essex Electro Engineers online at www.essexelectro.com.
