Engineers at Selex needed a power supply for the Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jet. They found a solution with XCEL Power Systems Ltd. in Kent, England.
According to a $7.5 million contract, XCEL will provide three power-supply designs for use in the Defensive Aids Sub System (DASS) suite of Electronic Warfare products from Selex Sensors and Airborne Systems (formerly BAE Systems), in Essex, England.
Selex Sensors and Airborne Systems, a Finmeccanica company, is owned by Finmeccanica (75 percent) and BAE Systems (25 percent), and brings together the former Galileo Avionica in Italy with the United Kingdom-based BAE Systems Avionics.
XCEL was first implemented in Tranche 1 of the Eurofighter Typhoon program, then was part of a modification program for Tranche 2 preproduction units, and has now been selected as supplier for Tranche 2, a requirement which comprises some 236 aircraft plus spares.
“This represents XCEL’s largest contract award to date,” says Richard Weller, general manager of XCEL Power Systems Ltd. “Our ability to manage long-term contracts and obsolescence issues has been a critical element of this program award, and our Lean Manufacturing initiative has resulted in XCEL being able to offer a cost reduction in comparison to the Tranche 1 contract. The build program, which will run 2006 through 2009, will help to secure several manufacturing jobs, and we hope to see further requirements when the Eurofighter Typhoon is selected by other potential export customers.” For more information, see www.xcelpower.com.
