Ram Air Turbine Driven Power and Cooling Unit for Enhanced EA-18 Pod Effectiveness

A new airborne electronic warfare pod is being developed for the EA-18 aircraft that will be entering service to replace the aging EA-6B. This new pod demands significantly higher power capacity than the current ALQ-99 pod while simultaneously operating over a much wider speed and altitude range. An innovative ram air turbine, customized to produce power and provide cooling that will be located entirely within EA-18 pod, is proposed. CFD Research Corporation has teamed with Curtiss-Wright Flow Control - ElectroMechanical Division (CWFC-EMD) to minimize technical and commercialization risk during development of this new ram air turbine unit. CFDRC will lead the design and development of the turbine, inlet, and cooling systems. EMD will be task with adaptation of their existing generator to meet new Navy requirements. Phase I will focus on preliminary and detail design and analysis to assure all solicitation and EA-18 operational requirements are exceeded. Phase II will focus on fabrication, test, evaluation, and prototype delivery to the Navy. Our strategic alliance with CWFC-EMD, a supplier of power and cooling units to the Navy for over 50 years, will facilitate rapid Phase III commercialization.