In response to a need for improved aircrew safety and maintainability, PPG Aerospace designed and developed the advanced-design windshield for the U.S. Navy’s F/A-18 aircraft. PPG’s advanced-design transparency is rated to withstand the impact of a four-pound bird at 475 knots. An additional benefit is the quick change-out feature arising from improved interchangeability and the use of modern gaskets and fasteners. In sum, these features and benefits enable superior operational and environmental performance and lower life-cycle cost.
A leading and experienced manufacturer of windshields, canopies, windows, blast barriers and specialty transparencies for military applications, PPG has a broad range of capabilities to design and produce advanced-technology transparencies that meet the demanding requirements of military air and surface operations.
PPG offers a variety of transparent structural materials tailored to aerospace applications.
Plastic substrate materials currently in production include acrylic that is strong and lightweight, and polycarbonate that has superior impact resistance and a high strength-to-weight ratio. PPG also is developing exciting, new transparent structural materials with superior structural properties that have the potential to replace both acrylic and polycarbonate.
For example, new OPTICOR™ advanced transparency material provides unprecedented performance and unique design capabilities that meet the demanding needs of today’s aerospace industry. This innovative high-performance, proprietary PPG plastic is superior to other commonly used aerospace plastics, offering exceptional resistance to abrasion, chemicals, ultraviolet degradation and fire. Because it resists crazing, Opticor advanced transparency material maintains optical clarity. It has lower density than stretched acrylic and low moisture absorption, and it is an excellent substrate for metallic and nonmetallic coatings. Unique non-uniform shapes can be created with Opticor advanced transparency material. |