Improved Performance, Reliability and Lifecycle Costs
Collins Aerospace has been selected by Boeing to provide wheels and carbon brakes for the first three production lots of the F-15EX for the USAF, replacing legacy components.
Collins worked closely with the USAF on the Wheel and Brake System Improvement (WBSI) programme to design, develop, and qualify the systems while achieving installation approval from Boeing for the F-15C/D and F-15E variant aircraft. After five years of operations, Collins’ wheels and brakes continue to meet or exceed all USAF WBSI performance standards. The company set out to drive down lifecycle costs, while increasing wheel and brake longevity. “Our world-class engineering team designed and developed a state-of-the-art wheel and carbon brake system that upends legacy systems currently in use,” said Matt Maurer, Executive Director, Landing Systems Military Wheels and Brakes for Collins Aerospace. “Our solution provides superior product that is sustainable, reliable and cost effective for the US Air Force and Boeing.”
The Collins system improves thermal management for safer operation and reduces lifecycle costs, featuring 25,000-mile fatigue life, 1,400 landings per overhaul, reduced maintenance intervals and lower peak brake fluid temperatures. The technology offers a product upgrade compared with the legacy wheel and brake system, originally designed in the early 1970s.
