Defense Aircraft
The defense market has historically been an innovator in the use of, and source of significant demand for, adhesives and composites and Hexcel is currently qualified to supply materials to a broad range of more than 100 military aircraft and rotorcraft programs. These programs include the F-35 Jet Fighter, F/A-18E/F Hornet, Dassault Rafale, and the Eurofighter Typhoon. Hexcel also supplies composite materials for the Airbus A400M, Boeing KC-46 Pegasus, Lockheed C130, and Embraer KC-390 military transport aircraft.
All composite structures on the Eurofighter Typhoon, including wings, front fuselage, and tail section, are built with Hexcel’s HexPly® 8552 epoxy prepreg. Together with Hexcel’s advanced Bismaleimide (BMI) system that is used for high temperature components and HexWeb® honeycomb used in the sandwich structures, Hexcel’s total contribution per aircraft is over a ton of composite material.
Hexcel’s prepregs, out-of-autoclave products, reinforcements and honeycombs are also suitable for the manufacture of Unmanned Aircraft Vehicles (UAVs).
HexTow® IM7 is the leading carbon fiber in the defense market. HexTow® HM63 high modulus carbon fiber (in UD or woven format) offers superior stiffness for UAV applications.
- Radar Transparent Radome: Epoxy or BMI prepreg or RTM resins and woven preforms made of glass or quartz
- Foreplane Canard Wings: Epoxy carbon prepregs
- Fuselage Panel Sections: Epoxy carbon prepregs. Non-metallic honeycomb core and HexBond™ adhesives
- Leading Edge Devices: Epoxy carbon and glass prepregs
- Fin Fairings: Epoxy glass and carbon prepregs
- Wing Skins and Ribs: Epoxy carbon and glass prepregs
- Fin Tip: Epoxy/quartz prepregs
- Rudder: Epoxy carbon prepreg
- Fin: Epoxy carbon/glass prepreg
- Flying Control Surfaces: Epoxy carbon and glass prepregs. Honeycomb core material and HexBond™ adhesives
