Lift Fan Components

Short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL)

Lift Fan Components for the F-35B Lightning II are integral parts of aircraft engine equipped with short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) capabilities.

F-35B LiftFan® Assemblies

AEC produces the Inner Stage Vane (ISV), Outer Guide Vane (OGV), and CIAM assemblies for the Rolls-Royce LiftFan®, used in the F-35B aircraft. The use of composites is critical for achieving both weight and fatigue performance requirements. In each of these assemblies, AEC builds the entire assembly, and developed many manufacturing methodologies that enable the F-35B's Short Take-Off Vertical Landing (STOVL) lift system technology to function as intended. For example, some component features require extremely tight fabrication tolerances in order for the overall assembly to produce the intended flow behaviors through the STOVL lift system. Meeting these tolerances are critical to aircraft performance.

AEC's Composite Innovations

The parts produced by AEC use a combination of molding and composite production technologies: Resin Transfer Molding (RTM), autoclave curing, and compression molding. They also use a combination of 3D woven, 2D laminated and chopped fiber preform reinforcements.

Included