News

In 2023, Crane Aerospace & Electronics selected Kulite as a key supplier for pressure transducers for a full brake control system redesign program for the United States Air Force fleet of F-16 aircraft. Crane had been selected by Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) to supply the redesign to address safety, performance, reliability and maintainability enhancements.

Crane has over 75 years of experience in providing brake control systems, with more than 30,000 systems in operation today. The brake control system for the F-16 will leverage Crane Aerospace & Electronics’ Mark V Brake-By-Wire system technology to deliver safe, reliable and highly efficient braking performance. The brake control system will also incorporate design improvements to simplify system maintenance as well as address existing single point failures for improved safety.

Kulite, who revolutionized the aerospace pressure transducer in 1987, when it introduced piezoresistive silicon sensor technology that solved contaminating and corrosive environmental problems, will be producing this custom, hermetically sealed design for a fleet of 953 F-16s. The ingenious application of modern solid state technology to transducer sensing makes the APTE-735-1000-3000SG the most advanced pressure transducer available.

Designed to measure liquid or gas pressure, the transducer is of all-welded stainless steel construction, with integral pressure port and diaphragm. There will be 4 parts per shipset with Kulite deliveries starting in the summer of 2024 and the DLA will see the USAF F-16 fleet retrofitted over three years from 2026-2028.

Kulite exhibited at the 39th Space Symposium at the Broadmoor Resort in Colorado Springs in early April. Over 10,000 people attended this premier event where commercial, government and military leaders of the global space community assembled to collaborate and discuss innovation and the future of the industry. Our highly knowledgeable engineers Steve Carter, Scott Goodman, and JP Hilton were on hand at the Kulite booth and shared information about Kulite transducers and their extensive capabilities.

Kulite visitor’s pressure measurement needs covered a wide gamut of applications including: an interest in Kulite SOI technology and its use in testing and analyzing radiation susceptibility of hardware used in space applications; the use of sensors for coolant loops in space applications; a seabed application where a transducer would have 4-20mA output and be build into a subsystem; the use of pressure scanners for a small parachute experiment; composite tank pressure measurement; Kulite transducers being ideal technology for accurately characterizing high-speed for valve manufacturers; and the use of Kulite transducers for satellite propulsion systems.

After such a successful show, Kulite is already planning on attending next year’s symposium. In the meantime, check out the event’s page of this website (www.kulite.com/events/) for a list of upcoming shows where you can visit our expert engineers.

Steve Carter and Scott Goodman attended the January AIAA SciTech Forum in Orlando. The AIAA Science and Technology Forum and Exposition program covers the science, technologies, and policies that are shaping the future of aerospace. This is the seventh year Kulite has attended this symposium which continues to draw the largest concentration of ground test and flight test researchers of any US – based event. There were over 6,000 attendees with over 3,000 technical presentations covering over sixty research areas.
After 3 busy days of speaking with customers and students, a key takeaway was learning about the increasing research and testing needed in the future. Different Kulite transducer and scanner specification sheets were provided for countless applications for measurement and testing. Researchers were impressed with Kulite’s small-format, pressure transducers when they learned of their minimum resolution, signal-to-noise, and noise floor supported even when measuring higher frequencies. They were also impressed with the flexibility of the KMPS pressure scanners which support multiple pressure ranges and pressure modes within the same scanner body.
Discussions with clients and engineers about flight test programs were very productive and Kulite is excited about the opportunity to be a part of these future projects.

Alex Winterburn, Stephane Beaufront and Jean-Christophe Natton were busy with clients, suppliers and students at the Kulite stand at Space Tech Expo Europe, in Bremen, Germany. The show is Europe’s largest B2B event for the space industry where you can see a variety of space technology that is used in manufacturing processes. It is a leading showcase for space manufacturing and testing services, components and systems engineering for spacecraft, launcher, and satellite programs.

Kulite’s sensing technologies are a perfect fit for endless space exploration, launch vehicle and satellite applications, all with demanding requirements. With Kulite involved with many space programs around the world, the consensus from visitors at the booth was a very high level of confidence. One productive meeting included a client that develops and supplies innovative and competitive solutions for civil and military space launchers, with expertise in all aspects of state-of-the-art propulsion technologies. Since 2008 a total of 140 Kulite transducers have flown with their ATVs and just recently 24 were incorporated into their spacecraft for a moon orbit mission, with more launches to come! Their overall satisfaction has been great because of many factors including: Kulite’s small-format, lightweight products; Kulite’s outstanding customer service; reasonable price point; and the ability to modify parts for their custom needs.

The future of space exploration is bright and Kulite is poised to deliver as we continue to development, innovate and refine technologies to meet new challenges. To request more information on how to incorporate Kulite transducers into your program, please visit the “Get Info” section of our website or visit the contact page for a representative near you.

Josh Lincoln and Steve Carter attended the Automotive Testing Expo 2023 in October in Novi, MI. With over 280 exhibitors, it is America’s leading exhibit of the technologies required for ADAS and autonomous vehicle testing, electric and hybrid powertrain testing, battery and range testing, EMI and NVH test and analysis and the full spectrum of test and validation technologies for full-vehicle, component and systems development.

Previously for Kulite, transmission and brake system transducers were the most often requested product category by booth visitors, with one client claiming to have 30,000 XTL-2DC-123 series transducers in their inventory! Now, requests are more evenly distributed among additional categories including cooling systems, oil systems, fuel systems, aerodynamics, airbag testing, and acoustics. There was also a request to obtain several ETL-634B-312M and/or ETL-640RB-312M transducers to support race operations using the Cadillac drivetrain.

Also discussed at the Kulite booth was the upcoming GMDF-280 accelerometer calibration requirements using the KSC-2-C3 Signal Conditioner whose Rezcomp capabilities improve shock acceleration bandwidth. Overall, we were very impressed for the immediate need for Kulite pressure sensing technology at the show and are thrilled to be a major supplier to the automotive industry.