BENGALURU: US-headquartered Collins Aerospace opened a new Engineering Development and Test Center (EDTC) at its North Gate campus here on Wednesday.
Set up at an investment of $25 million, the EDTC streamlines product development, testing and certification of Collins' components locally, bringing aerospace technologies to market faster.
The state-of-the-art lab includes comprehensive testing equipment to ensure the company's aerospace systems meet the highest global safety and performance standards.
The tests simulate harsh aircraft operating conditions and address potential issues, including extreme temperatures, high altitudes, vibrations, and electromagnetic interference.
By conducting these tests locally, Collins can swiftly identify adjustments earlier in the development process, improving product design, while reducing time and cost.
Highlighting the safety standards that the new lab is eyeing, Collins Aerospace Vice-President (Global Engineering & Technology Centers) Savyasachi Srinivas said, "Aerospace is a highly-regulated space. We don't put anything on a plane without it being tested, qualified, and certified by authorities like the FAA and DGCA. Hence, while we bring technology into the system, we are responsible and ethical in doing so, ensuring that our
customers, airlines and passengers feel confident and safe."
According to Collins Aerospace Senior Vice-President (Engineering & Technology) Clay Lindwall, "The aerospace industry is evolving at an incredible pace, and the new centre gives us the capability to support that evolution by making the testing and certification process faster and more efficient."
Initially, the EDTC will support Collins Aerospace, for its avionics, advanced structures, interiors, and power & controls businesses. In future, it is slated to serve all businesses of parent RTX, supporting a broader range of aerospace and defence applications, and allowing for shared innovation across the company's diverse product portfolio.
In an engineering perspective, the new lab is the largest outside the US, and brings a range of capabilities of qualifying and certifying airborne products together.
Meanwhile, Collins Aerospace offers 'nose-to-tail' solutions, with its innovations integrated across the flight deck, lavatory, seating, galley, evacuation slides, oxygen systems, communication systems, cargo systems, engine, safety features, and so on, serving a variety of platforms across general, business, commercial and defence aviation segments.
The company has been investing in India for over two decades, with a growing footprint that now includes over 6,000 employees in engineering, digital, manufacturing, operations, and supply chain functions. In the last five years alone, it has invested $200 million in the country.
"India is our largest engineering presence outside of the US, and will continue to be for the foreseeable future. Our idea is 'India for India, and India for the world', for which we are also looking at partnering with the local ecosystem, and with the government," Srinivas informed.
"We have our content on the Tejas LCA Mk-1, and are planning to have it on Mk-2 as well. We have had discussions with ADA and HAL on the AMCA and IMRH programmes. Our content is on the C-295, Chinook, and Apache too," he informed, adding that the company works with around 60 suppliers in India, besides operating three manufacturing plants in Bengaluru.