In July 2003, JASC was awarded a contract from Hamilton Sundstrand, of San Diego, CA, to develop the Fuel Control System and Inlet Guide Vane Actuator for the PW-980. The PW-980 is the Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) that will be used on the Airbus A-380 (seen below). The A-380 is a next-generation Jumbo Jet, designed to carry 555 passengers over 8,000 nautical miles.
The largest commercial APU currently available is the PW-901, found on the Boeing 747-400 series aircraft. The PW-980 is a larger derivative of the original PW-901 design and will assume the role as the largest commercial APU when it enters service on the A-380 (scheduled for 2006).
Control systems are not new to JASC. The company has been developing a wide variety of controls and has over 40 years of experience in the field. From small UAVs (see the article “Mini-Motors to Drive Small UAVs, Missiles” in the July 29, 2002 issue of Aviation Week & Space Technology), to large industrial power applications, JASC is a proven name in fuel controls.
JASC is also establishing itself as the leader in fuel controls for hypersonic research aircraft. It has developed the fuel controls for the X-43A (Hyper-X) vehicle, as well as follow on engine/vehicles (see the articles “Component Tests Aid Scramjet Development and Flight-Weight Scramjet Readied for Tests” in the June 24, 2002 issue of Aviation Week & Space Technology).
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