Ebrake contract

has won its first commercial contract for Ebrake: its advanced electric braking system that was successfully flight tested on a

demonstrator aircraft last year.

Meggitt’s electric brakes and control system will be installed on the Bombardier CSeries family of 110- to 130-seat aircraft launched in 2008 and due to enter service in 2013.

The first single-aisle aircraft to use advanced composite widely and to carry a Pratt & Whitney PW1500G geared turbofan engine, the CSeries is designed to use 20 per cent less fuel than current aircraft of this class. Similarly, the new aircraft are expected to emit 20 per cent less CO₂ and 50 per cent less NOx and deliver 15 per cent cash operating cost advantages.

It has already attracted firm orders for 30 aircraft from Lufthansa and an additional 20 from Lease Corporation International.

Electric braking provides fully integrated brake control and anti-skid protection, including emergency and parking brake functions, by combining brake-by-wire control technology with electro-mechanical brake actuation.

According to Meggitt, its development follows the aircraft industry’s gradual adoption of electric technology to develop more fuel-efficient aircraft with lower emissions. Electric braking is also expected to increase dispatch reliability and reduce unscheduled maintenance costs. The elimination of hydraulic fluids reduces the risk of leaks and associated fires.

‘We achieved a degree of compactness and efficiency in this braking system that the industry took around 70 years to deliver in hydraulics,’ said Kenneth Schwartz, president of Meggitt Aircraft Braking Systems. ‘We believe it to be the most compact system in development, with no compromise on performance.’

Meggitt’s integrated electric braking system includes nose and main wheels, electric actuators and associated control system elements amounting to 48 line-replaceable units.