LMI Aerospace, which offers structural components, kits, assemblies and engineering services to the defense, aerospace and technology industries, has secured a contract to design and develop wing slat assemblies for Embraer’s KC-390 aircraft.
As per the contract, LMI Aerospace will provide engineering, production, tooling, testing, certification and support of the entire wing leading edge slat system. The system’s engineering development work is scheduled to start in November 2011 and the first product delivery is anticipated in the first quarter of 2013.
The contract’s total estimated value on the basis of the already signed acquisition intentions for the KC-390 is $44 million. Embraer will fund through milestone payments for the engineering, tooling and testing all through the development process. This contract is LMI Aerospace’s second major design-build contract.
The Embraer KC-390 is the latest addition to the medium-lift military transport sector. Equipped with a twin turbofan engine to deliver superior operational productivity, the aircraft is anticipated to have the optimal accessibility and the minimal total life cycle cost in its category.
LMI Aerospace‘s Chief Operating Officer, Ryan Bogan who will manage the program, stated that the company is happy to partner with Embraer on its new KC-390. The company has vast experience in engineering, production and assembly of slat systems and this new program also complements the company’s diversification objectives, he added.