Unison Receives $4 Million Contract from the U.S. Air Force to Provide Ignition Systems for B-52s

U.S. Air Force to Upgrade Entire B-52 Fleet with Unison's Exciters and Y-Harnesses

Unison Industries announced that it has received a contract from the U.S. Air Force to upgrade the ignition systems on the entire fleet of ninety-four B-52 bombers. The contract is valued at more than $4 million. Under the terms of the two-year agreement, Unison will provide exciters, Y-harnesses, brackets, and hardware for the Pratt & Whitney TF33-103 turbofan engines that power the B-52. Eight TF33 engines provide the B-52 with 136,000 pounds of thrust, allowing it to achieve a maximum speed of 650 miles per hour.

Unison will manufacture the exciters and Y-harnesses at its facilities in Jacksonville, Florida and Saltillo, Mexico, respectively. Unison has teamed with a HUBZone company and a Small Disadvantaged Woman Owned Business to source and manufacture components under this two-year contract.

The ignition system upgrades will be performed at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana; Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota; and the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma. Tinker has worked on B-52 engines and performed modifications and depot maintenance on B-52 aircraft for more than 43 years.

"We're excited to be upgrading the entire B-52 fleet with new ignition systems," said Gordon Law, Unison's U.S./International Government Sales Supervisor. "The B-52 plays a critical role in our nation's arsenal, and we're proud to keep the fleet mission-ready with exciters and harnesses that meet the strict performance and reliability standards of the Air Combat Command. The new ignition systems will also significantly reduce the Air Force's current costs in repairing legacy systems."

The B-52 Stratofortress, manufactured by Boeing, continues to be the workhorse of the Air Force's strategic bomber force. The YB-52 prototype recorded its first flight more than 50 years ago, and the B-52 is expected to remain in service until at least the year 2040. The B-52 can launch or drop the widest array of weapons in the U.S. military's inventory. The B-52 was originally developed as a high-altitude, long-range nuclear bomber that served as a nuclear deterrent during the Cold War. However, the B-52 adapted to a conventional bombing role and its combat history includes sorties in the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, Operation Allied Force in Kosovo, and Operation Enduring Freedom.

Boeing manufactured 744 B-52 bombers, and 94 B-52H models remain in Air Combat Command service based in Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana and Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota.

Unison, a wholly-owned subsidiary of GE Engine Services, Inc., is a world leader in the design and manufacture of electrical components, sensors, and systems for aircraft, industrial, marine, and space uses. Headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, Unison operates manufacturing facilities and logistics centers worldwide. Additional information about Unison is available at www.unisonindustries.com.