DBT Bureau
Pune, 19 June 2025
Honeywell announced that Bell Textron Inc., a Textron Inc. company has selected Honeywell’s proven 36-150 auxiliary power unit (APU) and Honeywell Attune™ for the U.S. Army’s Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA). The selection of these Honeywell technologies supports the company’s alignment of its portfolio to three compelling megatrends, including the future of aviation.
The 36-150 APU enhances mission readiness and flexibility of aircraft operations by providing a secondary source of electrical and hydraulic power. Honeywell Attune™ is a lightweight, low-maintenance and energy-efficient thermal management system that uses advanced technology to generate cold air or liquid to cool cabins and electronic components. The system has been selected to suit the mission needs of the FLRAA aircraft.
“FLRAA will deliver new long-range high speed transport capabilities to the U.S. Army helping to ensure force readiness against emerging threats,” said Rich DeGraff, president, Control Systems, Honeywell Aerospace Technologies. “We are confident that our proven 36-150 APU and Honeywell Attune™ system will exceed the expectations of the Army throughout the FLRAA contract and subsequent active-duty service that will last beyond 2050. Honeywell looks forward to continuing to serve the Army on their future vertical lift fleet.”
Honeywell’s FLRAA APU is a derivative of Honeywell’s highly successful 36-150 APU model series which has demonstrated industry leading reliability and fuel efficiency. Honeywell has delivered over 10,000 36-150 APUs for over 20 commercial and military applications since initial entry into service. Versions of the 36-150 APU are currently in active service on the Army’s enduring fleet of UH-60 Black Hawk and AH-64 Apache helicopters.
Honeywell Attune™ is Honeywell’s latest innovation of high-density cooling technologies. Capitalizing on decades of experience producing industry-leading air cycle systems, Honeywell has developed Honeywell Attune™ with weight, size, and power advantages over traditional systems. Honeywell Attune™ is up to 35 percent lighter and 20 percent more efficient than conventional systems with comparable cooling capacity.
Honeywell Attune™ provides Bell with a lower-risk technical solution as it has been successfully introduced into commercial aircraft for both cabin and aircraft systems cooling. Honeywell Attune™ also features Honeywell’s Solstice zd refrigerant, making it a more environmentally-friendly vapor cycle system.
