Latest updates: 4 more, figures consistent with past orders, for… Australia?
F117 Cutaway (click to magnify)
United Technologies Corp. subsidiary Pratt & Whitney in East Hartford, CT produces the C-17 Globemaster III’s 40,400 pound thrust F117-PW-100 engine, a derivative of the PW2000 commercial engine that powers the Boeing 757. The C-17’s four F117 engines add a unique thrust reverser system that can be deployed in flight for tactical descents, enabling the aircraft to back up a 2-degree incline, and allowing tight turns on the ground. This creates faster unloading throughput, and allows the aircraft to use a wider range of runways. Ongoing improvement programs have allowed the F117 engine to exceed established goals for time on wing, in-flight shut downs, and fast support turnaround.
The firm’s engine contracts are separate from the government’s contracts for the aircraft themselves, and represent just one of many “Government-Furnished Equipment” items provided to C-17 manufacturer Boeing in the course of construction. This Spotlight article covers a multi-year contract issued in 2007.
The Marinha do Brazil’s 4 diesel-electric Tupi Class submarines (1,440t U-209/1400 variant) and single 1,550t Tikuna Class (Improved Tupi) boat must suffice to patrol a very large ocean zone, along one of the world’s longest navigable coastlines. The SS Tupi [S30] was commissioned in 1989, the other 3 Tupi class subs were commissioned in 1996-1999, and the Improved Tupi Class, aka. S34 Tikuna, was commissioned into service in 2005. Both submarine classes were designed by HDW.
The Tupi and Tikuna boats are currently listed as being capable of launching indigenous Brazilian torpedoes, as well as the British BAE Stingray. Adding the Mk48 heavyweight torpedo would increase the subs’ attack punch, and upgrading the combat system would also offer an easy path to integration of anti-ship missiles like the Harpoon if the Brazilians wished. In the intervening years, other electronics have also advanced, and keeping the Tupi Class modern requires an upgrade. Hence the recent contracts with Lockheed Martin MS2.
