The Air Force is considering a new competition for its Next-Generation Ejection Seat (NGES) program, four years after awarding a contract to Collins Aerospace.
The Air Force is seeking more information from potential vendors to see if they can meet the safety and sustainment needs for ejection seats in the F-15, F-16, F-22, and B-1 aircraft.
Currently, all these aircraft use the ACES II ejection seat, also made by Collins Aerospace.
The Air Force’s recent announcement does not guarantee a new competition but indicates a shift from 2019, when Collins was awarded a sole-source contract for the new ACES 5 seat, deemed the only option meeting the NGES requirements at the time.
In 2020, Collins secured a $700 million deal for ejection seats across multiple aircraft, including the A-10. The company, now part of RTX, has not commented on the recent developments, and the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center also hasn’t provided further details.
Kevin Coyne, founder of “The Ejection Site,” mentioned that the need for a new ejection seat is due to advancements in technology that can better protect pilots during ejections.
The older ACES II, designed in the 1970s, has had upgrades but still poses challenges, such as difficult maintenance procedures.
Newer models like the ACES 5 from Collins and the US18E from Martin-Baker are designed to accommodate a wider range of body types and improve safety features, reducing the need for complicated maintenance tasks like removing aircraft canopies.
According to Air & Space Forces Magazine, the Air Force has been exploring a replacement for ACES II for nearly a decade, with similar efforts in 2016 and 2019. The latest request from the Air Force includes updated safety requirements, particularly for low-level ejections.
In 2019, the Air Force considered responses from only two vendors and concluded that only Collins Aerospace met the criteria.
Martin-Baker, the other primary player in the ejection seat game, came under scrutiny in May of this year, after one of their seats misfired on the ground and fatally injured the occupant.
Captain John Robertson from the 80th Operations Support Squadron was inside a parked T-6A Texan II aircraft when the Martin-Baker ejection seat activated unexpectedly.
While his family was fortunate enough to see him in his final hours, he died the following day and a subsequent investigation was launched.
The UK-based ejection seat company — whose unofficial motto of “you’ll never meet your maker in a Martin Baker” comes across as ironic in light of the tragedy— was not readily available for comment.
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