Lockheed Martin Aeronautics picked up the top award in this section for the first manned flight of an aircraft with a total electric actuation system.
Towards the end of last year the Advanced Fighter Technology Integration (AFTI)/F-16 aircraft successfully completed seven test flights of the Lockheed Martin "power-by-wire" system. The flights marked the first time that a manned aircraft of any type had flown with a total electric actuation system, without hydraulic or mechanical back-up. EADS Airbus was named as a finalist, along with Northrop Grumman and SITA.
The Airbus A340-500 and -600 became the first airliners to feature carbon-composite keel beams - a major technological breakthrough in aircraft structures that provides increased strength, reliability and corrosion resistance by comparison with traditional structures.
Northrop Grumman developed the Computer Replacement Programme (CRP) for the US Air Force's Boeing E-8 Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (Joint STARS) aircraft.
SITA made the last four for its implementation of the Interactive Distributed Information and Support online technical manual service, designed to ensure that critical maintenance information is always up-to-date and easily accessible from anywhere in the world.
Source: Flight Daily News
