02 Jul 2002
BAE Systems has been recognised by the Aero Club of America as one of the greatest achievers in aeronautics in the United States with the Robert J. Collier Trophy.
For work performed in 2001 on the Integrated Lift Fan Propulsion System (ILFPS) on the Lockheed Martin X-35B Joint Strike Fighter, BAE Systems is one of several companies sharing the Robert J. Collier Trophy.
The Collier Award was named for Robert J. Collier, an aeronautics visionary. In the first decades of the 20th century, Collier saw flight as a landmark in the emergence of new economic and industrial forces, with aviation as the science that would bring them to global fruition. The trophy was first presented in 1911, but was renamed for him in 1944, to honor him as a pioneer who inspired new vantage points on future challenges and always put innovation first.
Achieving excellence through teamwork, the award was distributed to the team of companies that worked on the ILFPS, including Pratt & Whitney, Rolls Royce, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems.
The industry team along with the Joint Strike Fighter's Joint Program Office designed and fully demonstrated the Short Takeoff and Vertical Landing (STOVL) variant of the Joint Strike Fighter. The ILFPS that powers the Joint Strike Fighter STOVL variant is a significant breakthrough that enables fixed-wing aircraft to move vertically in takeoff and landing modes.
BAE Systems provided development support for the propulsion system integration and aircraft systems support during the development and testing of the ILFPS. The company was involved with early engine design, airframe design, integration studies and wind tunnel testing of the STOVL aircraft configuration. We lead the STOVL flight test team and are responsible for development of a significant portion of the cockpit, including the electronic combat suite, flight control system, crew escape and life support systems and development support for missions systems software.
- By Nicole Jagodzinski
