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OXLEY LED LIGHTS FOR NEW GULFSTREAM G500 & G600 EXECUTIVE JETS

Oxley Group is leading an LED lighting revolution for commercial aviation with the development of a ground-breaking set of external lights for the new models of Gulfstream executive jet.

Oxley is providing all external lighting on the two aircraft types, the comprehensive suite has been developed especially for the new jets and the lights outperform existing technology at every level to deliver improved reliability and substantially reduce through-life costs.

The 3 year development process through design, prototyping, testing and manufacture was completed by a dedicated project team of mechanical, optical and electronics engineers at the Oxley Priory Park site in Cumbria, UK and Oxley Inc. in Connecticut, US.  As part of delivering the project there was a requirement for Oxley to deliver sophisticated software and develop complex lighting assemblies.

The Oxley team worked closely with the design and production departments at Gulfstream in Savannah, Georgia, US throughout the development phase. This has created a strong working relationship between the two companies and the Oxley team is enthusiastic about working with Gulfstream on future projects.

Martin Blakstad, Oxley Group CEO explained: “Oxley has made a significant commitment in delivering the complete external lighting solution for the Gulfstream G500 & G600 jets; it has challenged our team to push the boundaries of their design, production and testing expertise.  The suite of lights that has emerged from that process now sets the standard in LED lighting technology for the commercial aviation market.”

The Gulfstream lighting suite includes the exceptionally bright LED landing light, which meets the 400,000cd required industry standard.  It is rated to operate for 27,000 hours MTBF (Mean Time Between Failure) compared to the 25 hours typical for halogen technology.  The total power consumption is just 115W compared to the average halogen technology power consumption of 450W – representing a reduction of more than 70%.

The new units meet the stringent Aerospace Environmental and EMC requirements and are qualified to RCTA DO-160G.  The Oxley landing light meets and exceeds SAE ARP 693 performance specifications – and crucially does so over a full standard aircraft temperature range of -55°C to +70°C.

Smart technology has also been integrated into the lighting assemblies. The wing tip assembly (incorporating a navigation, anti-collision & separate forward facing flood light) and the tail assembly (incorporating a navigation and anti-collision light) have built in visible and discrete EOL (end of life) feedback to enable predictive maintenance so as to prevent unscheduled maintenance that could inhibit aircraft dispatch times.  This system utilises Oxley designed software that is qualified to RTCA/DO-178B DAL C.

The full suite of LED lights includes a distinctive high intensity taxi light and an ultra-low profile ground recognition light which protrudes just 13.5mm outside the fuselage body.  Oxley is also supplying wheel well, ice inspection and logo lights, pylon lights, entry door and over/under wing emergency egress lights, and service panel lighting, all offering 30,000 hours MTBF.

Oxley Win Prestigious ‘Exporter of the Year’ Award
 
Oxley Group was the proud winner of the Exporter of the Year award at the recent CN Group Business Awards.
 
The ‘Exporter of the Year’ category is aimed at companies that have developed new markets.  The judges were looking for entrants who could demonstrate significant export sales in relation to their size and success in developing new overseas markets to sustain business growth.
 
Export sales accounted for 76% of Oxley Group’s turnover in 2014.  International development began in the 1970s with the establishment of a US office & manufacturing facility. Over the last 4 decades, the team have established partnerships and customer relationships throughout many parts of the world, leading to success in winning large scale contracts with some of the world’s biggest aerospace and defence companies, including Saab in Sweden, Boeing, Gulfstream, Sikorsky and Lockheed Martin in the US, General Dynamics in Spain and the Australian Navy. In 2013 Oxley Developments did business in 34 different countries, covering 5 continents.
 
The CN Business Awards celebrate the success and enterprise of Cumbrian businesses. The winners were selected by a panel of independent judges.  Marie Whitehead, director of CN Events, who chaired the judging panel, said: “The number and calibre of entries across all categories this year showcase the fantastic business offer we have in this fabulous county. We were spoilt for choice and are delighted with our winners.”
 
Commenting on the win, Oxley Group CEO Martin Blakstad said, “Winning this award is a tremendous honour, over recent years the team has worked tirelessly to develop new business with customers both in the UK and overseas and that is reflected by the high levels of demand we have for Oxley LED technology and the strong relationships we have built with some of the world’s biggest defence and aerospace companies.”

OXLEY SUCCESS IN APPRENTICE TEAM OF THE YEAR CHALLENGE

Nine apprentices from Oxley Developments narrowly missed out on a top three position in the search for the official ‘apprentice team of the year’ following a grueling six month challenge against some of the countries top leading apprentice employers and training providers.

The team was competing against seven other teams and raised over £1,700 for the Ulverston Inshore Rescue and £1,000 for Barrow Foodbank. The eight finalists raised over £30,000 for 8 charities as well as holding school talks and media interviews to explain how Apprenticeships enable young people to earn while they learn in a real job, gaining a real qualification and a real future.

The final stage, held at Brathay Trust’s headquarters on the banks of Lake Windermere saw Oxley finish one place off the podium with PepsiCo winning the challenge. The two-day long adventure finale in Ambleside tested the teams’ problem solving and physical abilities, culminating in a whaler boat race, across Lake Windermere which pushed the teams’ strength and teamwork to the limit.

The eight finalists were selected from over 110 teams and 1000 apprentices who entered the competition. Since January, the competitors have staged more than 360 school visits to talk about the benefits of Apprenticeships and delivered 60 community projects.

Team member, Nick Turner, said: “Just getting to the final and beating off more than 100 other teams was an achievement and we’re proud to have represented our company in the finals. The Challenge was really tough and the other teams really pushed us to our limits. We’re so proud of how far we have come and the experiences we have gained not just at the finals but throughout the whole six months.”

Martin Blakstad, Oxley Group CEO congratulated the apprentices on competing in the Challenge and said: “Apprenticeships are a vital part of our organisation and to see our team perform so well in this competition makes us all very proud. We employ nine apprentices across the business, recruiting & developing talented apprentices in key engineering roles enables Oxley to stay at the forefront of technology, delivering high quality products for our customers.”

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said: "I want to congratulate the winners and all of the competitors in the Brathay Apprentice Challenge. Together they have shown the genuine difference an Apprenticeship can make to give young people the chance to pursue a dream job as well as helping a business grow and increase its productivity.

"It is important that we work together to encourage even more businesses to offer Apprenticeships so we can ensure Britain's long term success, building a stronger economy and fairer society for this generation and the next."

Defence and Security Company Saab orders Oxley LED landing and taxi lights for advanced Gripen combat aircraft

Oxley Group has received a substantial order for the supply of the company’s revolutionary LED landing and taxi lights on Sweden’s highly regarded Saab Gripen combat aircraft.

Oxley has been working with Saab for the last 5 years to design, develop and qualify a set of high intensity landing and taxi lights for the Gripen aircraft, as the proving ground for the introduction of LED lighting across the military and commercial aircraft sector.


The Oxley LED Landing Light

These fixtures will replace the conventional halogen lights which require frequent and costly replacement due to the damage sustained by shock and vibration, and performance degradation in extreme operating temperatures.

Oxley LED lights are highly resistant to shock and vibration (including gunfire) and operate effectively across a wide range of temperatures.  They are designed to deliver sustained performance in these arduous conditions and offer significant through-life cost benefits to the aircraft.   Mean Time Between Failure is in excess of 13,000 hours for the landing light and 14,000 hours for the taxi light, compared to halogen units which typically require replacement after as little as 2.5 hours of service in these environments.

The new LED lights are totally self-contained and are designed as “plug and play” to allow easy retrofitting of LED units to replace halogen lights. The Saab landing and taxi lights is also NVG (Night Vision Goggle) friendly and emit significantly less infra-red radiation than a standard halogen light.

Oxley has received a production order for the supply of 140 shipsets of lights with delivery starting in August and continuing through to October 2015.  Oxley currently supplies wing tip, tail light, position lights and the control box for the aircraft external lighting system on the Gripen C & D variants.



The Saab Gripen Combat Aircraft

The new order reflects Oxley long-term strategic relationship with Saab Aerospace as a key customer and product technology development partner. A team from Oxley recently visited Saab in Sweden to discuss the latest progress on the Gripen fighter jet programme.

Both of the new lights exceed current operational requirements, with the NVG Friendly™ High Intensity LED Landing Light delivering a peak intensity greater than 200,000cd, while the rugged High Intensity LED Taxi Light has a peak intensity performance greater than 27,000cd.

Powered directly from the aircraft’s 115V/400Hz supply, without the requirement for an external supply, the lights use significantly less power than existing technology – just 65W for the landing light and 37W for the taxi light.   Both units are extremely robust and benefit from a toughened borosilicate clear glass lens and an aluminium housing with a matt black hard anodised finish.

Both of the units are qualified IAW MIL-STD-810F and RCTA DO-160F Aerospace standards.

Oxley Developments is delighted to announce the launch of a new 10mm LED panel lamp. The new line, the STR/LH10 is based on the popular 8mm mounting lamp and has been developed to meet growing customer demand for a 10mm solution.
 
Sealed top and rear to IP68 and available with EMI shielding, the lamps are designed specifically for the military and aerospace markets and are suitable for the most challenging of environments.  They are made from a metal and glass construction and present a rugged and reliable option.   With an operating temperature range of -40 to 85°C and a storage temperature of -55 to 100°C, the lamps are a versatile solution for a wide range of uses.

The Oxley STR/LH10

As with all of the Oxley lamp range this high performance product is available in a wide variety of configurations to suit the required application.  A range of high intensity colours are available including red, green, yellow, blue and white and a variety of terminations can be selected for ease of installation.  The lamps are available with a domed or convex lens alongside a selection of voltage and current options.
 
Customer bespoke options are also available on this lamp; further information is available from the Oxley team.
 
Steve Wells, Director of Oxley Components commented, ‘At Oxley, we’re committed to supporting our customers’ needs and responding to market advances, this development  highlights that Oxley continues to lead the industry in terms of technological advancement and we are confident that this lamp will offer our customers the top quality performance that is synonymous with the Oxley name.’

Representatives from the Boeing project team working on the next generation KC-46 tanker programme for the US Air Force toured new production facilities during their visit to Oxley in Ulverston.
 
The Seattle-based team visited the Priory Park site and praised the quality of the new state of the art production facility and Oxley’s in-house specialist testing facilities.  They were at Oxley to review progress on the contract awarded in November 2012 to design and develop an LED lighting solution for the KC-46 fly-by-wire refueling boom which enhances the tanker’s capability to refuel any fixed-wing receiver aircraft.
 
The light is one of the most complex ever produced by Oxley.  Not only must it meet aerospace, environmental and EMC standards but it also needs to measure up to the rigorous US Federal Aviation Administration software standard that ensures reliable performance in an airborne environment.
 
The KC-46 is a multi-mission military aerial refueling aircraft developed by Boeing from its 767 commercial jetliner.  The first test aircraft is expected to roll out of the factory in January 2014.  Boeing expects to build and deliver the first 18 KC-46As by 2017 with an extended production target of 179 aircraft by 2027.
 
The visit to Ulverston was a scheduled programme management review and marked a successful milestone in the contract. The refuelling boom light is the second major project with Boeing; Oxley has previously provided the external LED lighting for the company’s C-17 military transport aircraft.

For further information please contact
Jayne Moorby   Marketing Manager  Oxley Developments
+44 7921 066296            j.moorby@oxleygroup.com

Oxley sets the standard for LED lighting in new generation armour

Oxley Developments is setting the standard for intelligent lighting on the latest generation of armoured support vehicles for UK forces.

Oxley is currently supplying LED internal crew compartment lighting for the General Dynamics Force Protection Foxhound light protected patrol vehicle.

Foxhound is equipped with intelligent internal lights – intelligent by design and intelligent in application.  In physical terms the LED technology means they are very low profile – giving more headroom for the soldiers travelling in the vehicle.  As back door opens the light goes from white down to red – NVIS friendly capability in a single compact unit.

The Oxley DC Combi light

The DC Combi light has a rugged design which provides excellent resistance to shock and vibration and provides high reliability in the field.  The light is a ‘fit and forget solution’ as there is no requirement to replace bulbs or tubes and it has a MTBF of over 50,000 hours.

Oxley is also developing prototype lighting solutions for the General Dynamics Scout SV.  This includes interior DC Combi dual mode crew lighting and the Gooseneck LED task light designed and manufactured to meet LED Defence Standard 59-411, and Land Class A and B EMC benchmark for UK military equipment.

The Oxley Gooseneck is flexible and dimmable and incorporates state of the art LED technology to provide a rugged task light, the light is designed with high quality components to provide a high vibration and shock proof construction for reliability in the field. The light has a secondary colour function with an NVIS friendly option available for operations with night vision goggles.

Peter Cotterill, Managing Director for Oxley Developments commented: “We are delighted to be involved in the development of lighting solutions for the new generation of UK armoured vehicles.  We source the highest quality LEDs from specialist manufacturers, but what makes our equipment stand out is the integration of those LEDs into specialist systems designed for military vehicles.

“That means not simply meeting the spec but giving the customer and user the benefit of industry leading heat sink technology, meeting the most rigorous EMC and sealing qualifications and complying with stringent Military DEF standards.”

Oxley will be displaying the new DC Combi and the Gooseneck light on Stand S3-232 at DSEI, which runs from 10-13 September at ExCel, London.
 
Oxley Developments Company Ltd
 
Oxley are experts in the field of NVG compatible lighting and advanced LED lighting systems. Product ranges cover area lighting for military shelters and field hospitals; IR vehicle lighting; external aircraft lighting and cockpit upgrades; and internal and external naval lighting for ships and submarines. Robust products designed and manufactured to operate in harsh military environments and meet exacting standards, Oxley lighting systems are proven in service on defence platforms across the world.

For further information please contact:
Jayne Moorby, Marketing Manager
01229 483215 / 07921 066296
J.moorby@oxleygroup.com
www.oxleygroup.com

Oxley will be exhibiting at the annual NDI Conference, ‘Collaborating for Growth’ which will be held on Tuesday 5th and Wednesday 6th March at Lancashire County Cricket Club, Manchester.

Oxley provide electronic components and a full range of LED lighting for applications across land, sea and air.  Recent developments include the next generation LED taxi and landing lights for use on aircraft; these are low wattage, lightweight and have been designed to deliver full performance over the whole aircraft operating temperature range.

Developed for use on the Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers, Oxley offers a suite of navigation lights suitable for any military or commercial vessel over 50m in length.

On land, Oxley manufactures a range of infra-red vehicle lights and supplies LED internal crew compartment and turret lighting systems.  The latest interior lighting solutions include the EFL and the AC Combi Rev 3; both product ranges have a low profile design providing increased work space with a rugged, solid state design that ensures transportation and deployment without fear of failure.  Both systems are efficiently designed, requiring fewer units to light up a space and with a high MTBF they are a reliable ‘fit and forget’ option.

The Oxley team look forward to welcoming visitors to Stand 9 to provide information about the full range and discuss any specific requirements.

Defcon Technologies Exhibits Oxley Lights at Avalon
 
Oxley’s partner, Defcon Technologies will be exhibiting Oxley solutions at this year's Australian International Airshow and Aerospace Defence Exposition, Avalon 2013.
 
The event runs from the 26th February to the 3rd March in Geelong, Australia.  Oxley provide a full range of LED lighting for aircraft; including external and internal lighting and cockpit lighting.  These lights are suitable for technological enhancement or to convert an aircraft for use with NVGs.  The latest advancements from Oxley include the next generation taxi and landing lights; these are low wattage, lightweight and have been designed to deliver full performance over the whole aircraft operating temperature range.
 
The team look forward to welcoming you in Hall 2, Stand D in at the AIDN Showcase to provide information about the full Oxley range and discuss any specific requirements.
 

The new High Intensity LED Landing Light from Oxley Developments has been announced as a finalist in the Solid-State Lighting Application Category of the 2012 Elektra Awards.

The Landing Light is a recent innovation from Oxley.  Designed for use on fast jets but also suitable for military and civil aviation, the product is light weight, has excellent resistance to shock and vibration and delivers a mean time before failure (MTBF) of 10,000 hours - as calculated in accordance with MIL-HBK-217F

Commenting on the announcement, Peter Cotterill, Oxley Developments’ Managing Director said, ‘We are delighted to have been recognised as a finalist in the Elektra awards. Oxley is committed to developing market leading LED lighting solutions and we have built our reputation on solving aircraft lighting issues in an intelligent way, designing products that work better and last longer.’

‘The High Intensity Landing Light is no exception, it is specifically designed to deliver full performance over the whole aircraft operating temperature range and with a peak intensity 400,000cd it is the brightest light Oxley have ever produced.’

The Elektra Awards celebrate achievements in the European electronics industry, finalists were selected by a panel of independent judges and the winners will be revealed at an awards ceremony in December.