Boeing T-7A Red Hawk Successfully Tests CollinsAero Aces 5 Aircrew Ejection Seat

Boeing-SAAB T7A Red Hawk Advanced trainer successfully tests its CollinsAero Aces 5® aircrew ejection seat from 0-500 mph with a simulated aircrew. This test proves safer advanced pilot training for the U.S. Air Force. All backed by program execution and teamwork resulting in ACES 5 selection for the Boeing T-7A Red Hawk aircraft. ACES 5® is the latest addition to the Collins Aerospace family of Advanced Concept Ejection Seats. It incorporates significant safety and cost saving upgrades compared to the legacy ACES II®, which is credited with saving more than 680 lives since its 1978 introduction.

While retaining the proven performance of the ACES II, Collins Aerospace engineers incorporated technology improvements to create the next generation ACES 5 ejection seat. The seat is rigorously
tested to validate performance, reliability, and compliance with the latest safety requirements. Specifically designed to enhance crew safety during an ejection, ACES 5 provides head and neck protection as well as passive arm and leg restraint protection. Additionally, the design of ACES 5
simplifies routine maintenance and enables maintainers to quickly return the aircraft back into service.

The ACES 5 unique stability features provide a faster deploying drogue parachute and a stability package (STAPAC) to compensate for pitch changes due to varied aircrew weight and aerodynamic effects, reducing the risk for injury. Additionally, the simple, mechanical head and neck protection system achieve the 2016 MIL-HDBK-516C Change Notice safety performance standard. The seat structure eases performing maintenance by improving overall access to the internal service life components of the seat as another benefit. To facilitate finding foreign objects in the cockpit, the entire seat can be removed without having to remove the aircraft canopy, thereby increasing aircraft availability.

Feature
• Passive head and neck protection qualified to 2016 update of MIL-HDBK-516C injury requirements
• Passive leg and arm restraints
• Improved drogue system provides unsurpassed high-speed stability
• Common CAD/PAD with thousands of fielded ACES II® ejection seats worldwide
• Large, contiguous survival kit volume (1,200 cubic inches)
• CKU-12 rocket catapult reliably achieves industry-leading lowest spinal injury rates of <1%
• GR7000 main recovery parachute provides lower descent and oscillation rates.