10 November 2020: In the latest announcement by Collins Aerospace, the US Air Force has granted them a contract of USD 700 million firm-fixed-price for the production and fielding of a next generation ejection seat. The manufacturing of these ejection seats will be carried out in the Colorado Springs facility and is expected to be completed in the coming decade. The first delivery order focuses on outfitting the USAF fleet of Boeing F-15s with the ACES 5 ejection seat.
Describing the ACES 5 as the pinnacle of technology, Heather Robertson, vice president & general manager, Collins Aerospace said, “Collins Aerospace continues to leverage innovative technologies to keep aircrew safe, reduce maintenance costs, and improve operational performance. Our goal is to provide the best-performing ejection seat exceeding the most stringent safety requirements in the world today. The ACES 5 is in a class of its own and we couldn’t be more excited to begin fielding it while continuing the proud legacy of the ACES Family of Systems.”
ACES 5 is Collins Aerospace’s next-generation ejection seat and features enhanced head, neck, arm and leg flail prevention, in addition to a load-compensating catapult based on the occupant’s weight. ACES 5 reduces overall ejection-related major injuries to less than 5 per cent and ejection-related spinal injuries to less than 1 per cent. Collins Aerospace ACES 5 seat provides MIL-HDBK-516C safety while meeting Government requirements to include a qualification schedule planned within Air Force program objectives and equal or lower life cycle costs. Most recently, the seat was selected for the US Air Force’s T-7A Red Hawk trainer.
