KEN MACIVER, EVP, TRW AERONAUTICAL SYSTEMS (LUCAS AEROSPACE)

On the Record with
KEN MACIVER, EVP, TRW AERONAUTICAL SYSTEMS (LUCAS AEROSPACE)

"More electric" sounds like a campaign slogan, and TRW Aeronautical Systems-still more familiar as Lucas Aerospace-has certainly pinned this one to its mast.

Ken Maciver will take over as president of the SBAC later this year. He believes Farnborough will remain one of the world's top two aerospace shows, and that moves by Berlin to press for a tri-annual rotation with Farnborough and Paris will be resisted.

"There are two major aerospace shows in Europe, and Berlin is quite a long way from matching them," he told Show News.

"I am not at all sure the industry can afford or will welcome three such events in Europe. Boeing has already indicated it will continue to support the established venues in Britain and France where after all, the major aviation activity, and particularly the technology and know-how resides."

The rallying cry embraces three key technologies on which Lucas is basing its future programs, and which it just knows will hasten the coming of the "more electric" aircraft.

The strategy is also calculated to take advantage of the industry's continuing consolidation and restructuring to propel Lucas into the world's top three equipment suppliers from its current fifth-place ranking.

"We don't mean this to seem arrogant or complacent," says executive vice president Ken Maciver. " We have been in the leading or No. 2 position in all our core products for some time and have in fact consolidated that position; and we are well positioned for the future."

The key technologies on which Lucas is concentrating particularly are variable frequency power management, electro-hydraulic actuation of flight controls, and distributed controls.

The more-electric aircraft will have major system requirements in flight controls, power management and engine controls, Maciver says.
Lucas has already developed more-electric actuation, which will significantly reduce the hydraulic lines running through an aircraft, resulting in weight reduction and improved maintainability.

But as aircraft become more electric, power requirements will increase, which will in turn require more engine-generated power supply.

"Our challenge" Maciver points out, "is to provide this extra power without increasing weight, and in that way complementing rather than countering the benefits of more electric controls.

"Variable frequency generation achieves this, in that it removes system complexity by eliminating the hydromechanical constant-speed drive required in conventional constant frequency systems.

"It enables that increased power output, with the benefits of improved reliability, lower weight and cost," Maciver says.

"Finally, our distributed controls will lead to 'smart' units or components, which will greatly improve diagnostics and maintenance."

He states that Lucas has already established the benefits of variable frequency power generation and power-by-wire flight controls, and believes its level of experience is currently unmatched in the integration if flight controls, power management and engine controls, to meet the additional systems' needs of the more-electric aircraft.

He underlines this with: "Our variable frequency power on Bombardier's Global Express business jet is the world's first civil certification for this technology."

Airbus has also announced that variable frequency power generation and electro-hydrostatic actuators for flight control will be the baselines for the A3XX.

"So I believe we are very well positioned to win programs such as the A3XX and other next generation aircraft," Maciver says.

Lucas already has a foot firmly in the future with significant equipment on the Airbus A340-500/600, including a major portion of the primary and secondary flight controls, thrust reverser actuation, and cargo handling system. Lucas is also supplying engine controls to Rolls-Royce for the Trent engines which will power the A340-500/600, as well as the A3XX and the Boeing 747X Stretch.

Lucas has made a few recent acquisitions including SAMM, previously a subsidiary of Peugeot of France, which Maciver says has propelled his company into the top position for flight controls worldwide, and Pierburg Luftfahrtgerate Union GmbH, which has reinforced Lucas' role as a leading independent in engine controls.

Will there be more acquisitions? Yes, Maciver says-where they can complement or strengthen Lucas' core businesses.
But, he adds, "We must still grow organically-that's the test of our competitiveness."

TRW Lucas Aerospace is illustrating that competitiveness here at Farnborough with a substantial demonstration of technologies from variable frequency power generation, electro hydraulic actuation and cargo handling systems, to missile programs and aftermarket e-business solutions.

By Steve Morris