Brookhouse Builds New Speed Brake for T45

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Jun 30, 2006

Brookhouse Aerospace, of Tameside, Manchester, is currently building the modified speed brakes which will be retrofitted to all the T45 Goshawk trainers in service with the US Navy.

Brookhouse Aerospace, of Tameside, Manchester, is currently building the modified speed brakes which will be retrofitted to all the T45 Goshawk trainers in service with the US Navy.

This complex detail assembly is a continuation of similar assembly and build work for the T45 carried out by Brookhouse over the past nine years.

The T45 is an adaptation of the successful Hawk trainer and has been re-engineered to withstand the rigours of service at sea.

Apart from being able to function effectively in the corrosive salty environment, the aircraft must also be extremely robust to withstand the repetitive shocks of carrier landings by student pilots.

As part of the re-engineering programme, it was decided to change the backing structure of the speed brake from its original aluminium construction to a construction using steel and titanium, while retaining the main carbon fibre blade.

Working from drawings supplied by the aircraft manufacturer, BAE Systems, Brookhouse have manufactured all the tooling and components required to produce in excess of 180 modified brakes.

This included the design and manufacture of rate tooling for the composite blade and then the production of these composite components at its Darwen site, the manufacture of all the new metallic components for the backing structure, both in titanium and steel.

Apart from some titanium components, which are hot-formed at a sub-contractor, all metallic, backing structure components are cold-formed in house, using both traditional and state-of-the-art plant.

The air brakes are now being assembled and finished painted at Tameside before being despatched to BAE Systems for delivery to the US Navy.

Brookhouse's involvement in the Goshawk programme has included manufacture and assembly of the engine diaphragm, the engine bay door, the side structure main panels and the tank floor.

The company is currently undertaking various production phase programmes for a number of civil and military aircraft.

Brookhouse Aerospace is the metallic's division of Brookhouse, the UK's largest independent composites manufacturer for the aerospace sector.

It offers an integrated capability to the aerospace industry, especially in the manufacture of flying parts and metal detail components, from aircraft skin panels and frames to ailerons, engine mountings and floor structures.

It provides component finishing, including fully automated plating and pickling plant, as well as manufacturing facilities complemented by the CNC machining resources of the Brookhouse Darwen site.

With its ability to accept customer specification in formats ranging from hard copy drawings to Catia files, Brookhouse Aerospace has the resource, experience and project management expertise to supply aerospace organisations with metallic detail kit sets direct to line side to comply precisely with manufacturing schedules.