The change of the single source contract awarded to Collins Aerospace for its ACES 5 seat could potentially open the NGES competition to other companies like Martin-Baker, which would pitch its US18E ejection seat based on the F-35’s US16E.
The U.S. Air Force is reopening its NGES (Next-Generation Ejection Seat) competition for the F-16, the results of which might also cover the F-22 Raptor and the B-1B Lancer. The development comes after Collins Aerospace (an RTX subsidiary) was awarded in 2020 the original single-source contract, worth $700 million, to provide its ACES 5 ejection seat to all the Air Force’s fighters, except the F-35 Lightning II, and the B-1B bomber.
The service will now continue with its choice of the ACES 5 seat for the F-15. However, the change in the single source award, potentially opening to the invitation of other companies like Martin-Baker, was informed by a new “analysis of industry information in response to a Source Sought notice in Aug. 2024,” the Air Force said in a statement.
This “gathered critical input from industry partners on the NGES program” and offered “valuable insights and technical feedback from potential vendors,” further added the service. Currently, all the Air Force’s F-15s, F-16s, F-22s and B-1s are equipped with Collins’ legacy ACES II seat.
“The decision to re-open the competition underscores our commitment to continually assess our strategies to ensure we meet warfighter needs and timelines,” said Andrew Hunter, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics. “By reassessing market conditions and fostering competition, we ensure industry delivers the best possible solutions for both current and future Air Force requirements.”
NGES program
In Oct. 2019, while announcing its intent to award the sole-source contract to Collins Aerospace for the ACES 5, the Air Force had said that Collins was the “only company able to meet the government’s minimum requirements for the NGES program.”
The subsequent 2020 contract to Collins was “based on previous market research and assessment of technological maturity.” Breaking Defense said that program was “hit by delays,” with one of the reasons cited being supply chain disruptions owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.
This prompted a “revised acquisition strategy for the F-16 and F-22” in Aug. 2024, that relied on “new data, updated market research, and evolving operational demands.” A new RFP (Request for Proposals) could soon be issued.
In the new NGES program, Collins Aerospace would compete with the only other manufacturer of ejection seats, Martin-Baker, whose seats are on the F-35, the T-6, the T-38, and the A-29. Its newest seat, the US18E, is being installed on new F-16 Block 70 fighters built by Lockheed Martin for foreign partners. As part of that process, the AFLCMC (Air Force Life Cycle Management Center) and the F-16 Joint Program Office qualified the seat.
It’s day 1 at the Singapore Airshow and we’re up and running in the UK Pavilion at our revised stand number C-M65.
Come by the stand to see the US18E Ejection Seat for F-16 Block 70/72, the latest in Ejection Seat technology. pic.twitter.com/1dF6jCn7NJ
— Martin-Baker (@MB_EjectEject) February 15, 2022
Air and Space Forces Magazine quoted a company official confirming Martin-Baker’s participation in the NGES opportunity for the F-16, pitching its US18E seat. Collins Aerospace’s ACES 5 was also tapped for the new T-7 Red Hawk trainer.
The USAF’s original NGES program also involved the installation of new seats on the A-10C, but the service later decided to retire the aircraft. The Air Force has a separate program with Collins Aerospace to provide a new upgraded ACES II seat for the B-2 bomber fleet. The first B-2 bomber already received the new seats in November 2024, after it entered its scheduled PDM (Programed Depot Maintenance) cycle.
NEWS: 📣 Proud to announce we will be upgrading the @usairforce‘s #F15 fleet with our ACES 5® ejection seats 💺 Read more here: https://t.co/FDohlJ2VjS pic.twitter.com/0xYATJFtcV
— Collins Aerospace (@CollinsAero) October 29, 2020
This was part of the SSIP (Safety and Sustainment Improvement Program) for B-2 bombers. According to Collins, the seat for the B-2 has modular structure, with detachable seatback and bucket structure designed to provide easy access for maintenance and eliminating the need to remove the top cockpit escape hatch. These features provide the performance equivalent to the ACES 5, the company adds.
The ACES II, meanwhile, has been involved in 650 ejections since 1978, when it was first introduced, and has a spinal injury rate of less than one percent. It is in service on more than 6,000 aircraft, including all F-15s and F-16s worldwide as well as the Air Force’s A-10, F-22, B-1 and B-2 fleets.
ACES 5 and US18E
For the NGES, both the Collins Aerospace and Martin Baker have focused on technologies aimed at reducing the spinal cord injuries to pilots during ejections, greater adaptability to different body types, better adaptability to newer systems that sit atop a pilot’s helmet, like HMD (Helmet Mounted Displays), and easier maintenance processes.
It would be interesting to see the commercial fallouts of the new program too, since Collins Aerospace also has a thriving defense avionics and electronics business, while being part of a larger defense conglomerate like RTX, giving it a diversified revenue source. Martin-Baker on the other hand specializes in ejection seats only, with a loss in any contract hurting it financially.
The ACES (Advance Concept Ejection Seat) 5 was developed based on the experience and the proven performance of the legacy ACES II. Compared to the previous model, ACES 5 incorporated new technology improvements and safety features.
An advanced rocket motor and stability package (STAPAC) compensates for pitch changes due to varied aircrew weight and aerodynamic effects, reducing the risk for injury. Among the safety features are passive head and neck protection and passive legs and arm restraints.
“The modular seat structure eases performance maintenance by improving overall access to the internal service life components of the seat as another benefit,” says the company. “The seat bucket can also be easily removed to facilitate finding foreign objects in the cockpit and alternatively, the entire seat can be removed from the cockpit without canopy removal, thereby increasing aircraft availability.”
Martin Backer’s US18E seat is based on the US16E installed in the F-35 Lightning II. The seat, already selected by Lockheed Martin for newly built F-16s, has been reportedly adapted to the narrower cockpit of the F-16, while preserving all the features of the original US16E seat.
The seat features passive, airbag-like head and neck protection, as well as active arm restraint and passive leg restraints. These are designed to move the limbs in the correct position for the ejection, avoiding major injuries to the pilot.
“The modular seat design will considerably reduce the maintenance hours associated with canopy removals,” says the company. Martin-Baker further added that the US18E seat can replace the ACES II without affecting cockpit or canopy systems.
