Aerostructures
Aurora Flight Sciences offers expertise in the manufacture of composite and metal
aerostructures at two sites: North Central West Virginia Airport in Bridgeport, WV
and Golden Triangle Regional Airport in Columbus, MS.
The Aurora Flight Sciences of West Virginia (AWV) manufacturing facilities are comprised
of almost 100,000 square feet of shop area designed specifically for the manufacture
of precision composite (non-metallic and metallic) and sheet metal components.
The Clarksburg facility includes a 42,000 square foot composites facility designed
as a showplace for lean aerospace manufacturing. The composites facility includes
a 10,000 square foot class 100,000 clean room, autoclaves and extensive non-destructive
inspection capabilities including large component ultrasonic C-scan capability.
Aurora's 50,000 square foot metals, composites, and tooling facility in West Virginia
includes an extensive machine shop with multiple CNC machine centers, a CNC router
and water-jet cutter with CNC programming using MASTERCAM and SURFCAM. In addition
to its quality certifications, Aurora maintains a robust, MRP/ERP system-based program
management infrastructure.
The Aurora Flight Sciences of Mississippi (AMS) operation fabricates composite aerostructures.
AMS provides airframe design, assembly and integration of the high performance Orion
HALL Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) and other Aurora projects. The facility includes
clean rooms, climate-controlled material storage and all other items necessary for
high-quality aerostructures fabrication.
Aurora Flight Sciences is a Small Business specializing in rapid prototyping and
production of primary, secondary, and flight control structures manufactured from
the full range of composite and metallic aero materials. For nearly two decades,
Aurora has built a reputation as a stable and reliable organization with the capability
of companies many times its size. In addition to manufacturing aerospace components
for prime contractors such a Northrop Grumman, Sikorsky, Raytheon, and Bell, Aurora
often operates as a prime contractor to U.S. government agencies.
In 1995, Aurora became a key member of the Global Hawk team when it won the contract
to build the V-tails for the RQ-4 Global Hawk Unmanned Aerial System (UAS). Since
then, Aurora has steadily increased the scope of its Global Hawk work, which now
includes almost one-third of each RQ-4A and the larger RQ-4 Block 20 Global Hawk,
and all of the aircraft's composite components except those found in the wing and
radome areas.
Aurora Flight Sciences is providing the sonobuoy launcher assembly for the Sikorsky
Aircraft MH060R. The assembly is a pneumatic launcher, where the ejection forces
to accelerate the sonobuoy out of the launch tube is provided by compressed air.
Aurora Flight Sciences is also manufacturing the Main Rotor Pylon (MRP) for the
Sikorsky Aircraft CH-53K heavy-lift military helicopter. Made primarily of composite
material, the MRP will be fabricated at AWV.
In April 2007, AMS was awarded one of two United States Air Force contracts to develop
a concept demonstrator for an Advanced Composite Cargo Aircraft (ACCA).
In addition to the aforementioned aircraft, Aurora's Clarksburg aerostructures facility
fabricates a variety of metal and composite components for several other U.S. military
aircraft, including the EA-6B Prowler and E-2D Advanced Hawkeye.
AWV has also won a number of Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contracts
to develop new manufacturing techniques. For example, AWV is completing development
of a marketable Single Cell Machining System for fabrication of cylindrical, metallic
test specimens. The Aurora unit is also developing Laser Assisted Machining of Silicon
Carbide Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMCs) for Space Propulsion Structures.
Manufacturing Brochure -
Printable version
Brochure available through Aurora Public Relations upon request