Saving lives since the 1940s

If any firm typifies the entrepreneurial spirit of the UK aerospace industry over a number of generations, it is ejection seat manufacturer Martin-Baker. Founded just before the Second World War, it fired its first ejection seat in 1946 and has gone on to dominate the market ever since. Based in Denham, near London, the company has made 70,000 ejection seats - one in 10 has saved an airman's life. A prominent meter in the company's offices clocks up the successes to date: 7,061.

Martin-Baker has a 75% share of the Western market and 80% of its sales are exports. Current production is 400-500 seats a year. It has fought off competition from major US companies that have tried to break into the market. Its main rival today is Goodrich, which supplies several US fighters including the Lockheed Martin F-16. It has also fought off all offers to sell out and remains family owned.

Later this year, Martin-Baker will carry out the first test of the ejection seat destined for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter - the "evolution of 50 years of design", says business development manager Andrew Martin. Since the 1950s, the company has been sole supplier to all US Navy aircraft, including the Boeing F/A-18.

With fewer programmes coming on to the market, the company is looking at other growth areas, including support. "Historically, air forces would handle all this themselves but no one knows our products like we do," says Martin. "We are still supporting products we delivered in the 1950s." The trainer and light attack market remains promising, with some programmes in the offing: it already provides the seat for the Raytheon T-6 Texan.

Martin-Baker also branched out 20 years ago into helicopter crashworthy seats and has been selected to retrofit the Boeing UH-60 Black Hawk. It is also sole supplier for the Sikorsky S-92. It is a growing market, says Martin, "but barriers to entry are lower, so competition is higher".

Smart ejection seat from Martin-Baker on display

An aircraft ejection seat (pictured) that thinks for itself is on display for the first time at Farnborough 2004. Ejection seat and escape technology manufacturer Martin-Baker is showing its Mk16E for the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter at Stand D3, Hall 4.

Currently in an advanced stage of development, the seat will provide an escape system able to eject pilots in the event of problems during short take-offs and vertical landings.

An on-board computer selects the best mode of seat operation by monitoring the aircraft's speed and altitude. This gives the pilot the best chance of survival in emergencies. And where the pilot is unable to react quickly enough to a rapidly developing crisis, an automatic ejection capability kicks in.

Hovering

If retained for production, this automatic system will eject the pilot if the aircraft departs from previously established parameters, during transition from conventional to vertical flight and vice versa, and while hovering.

The seat can be adjusted vertically and tilted to accommodate the size and weight of its occupant and has full life support. Its design also reduces the aircraft's weight and manufacturing costs.

Also on display at the stand are the US16LA seat for the Raytheon T-6A, and the K16K seat for the Korean-built KAI T-50.

by ISABEL LESTO