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Neeter Drive Gearboxes Part of a Winning Design

BAE Systems are the contractor awarded to supply the American Marines with a Lightweight Howitzer Gun. In early 1997, the Ultra lightweight Field Howitzer (UFH), developed by the then Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Ltd (VSEL), was selected in preference to a Royal Ordnance design to meet the US Army and USMC XM777, or LW155 requirement.

The M777 Howitzer is substantially different from any other gun, as it has been designed to be ultra lightweight to allow the US Marines to fly the gun in by helicopter; the gun utilises an extensive range of lightweight materials including aluminium and titanium.

The Howitzer had been in development for over 3 years utilising Neeter Drive gearboxes and in the ensuing 5 years Neeter Drive has been working closely with BAE Systems (VSEL) to ensure that the units meet the design requirements of the US Army. During this period the design was developed with BAE to include features required following extensive testing and trials. All the results in the tests and trails ensure that the units have been honed to the optimum required for the application.

Neeter Drive’s gearboxes were chosen for the design following the success of the gearboxes on an earlier gun designed by BAE (VSEL) the AS90. The AS90 utilises eight gearboxes per gun. The gearboxes were chosen for its compact design and the company’s ability to be able to adapt the unit to the customers needs.

The ability to offer bespoke features and adapt to customer requirements enabled BAE to again select a Neeter Drive gearbox. The criteria for the design were compactness, lightweight and able to operate in arduous climate conditions worldwide. The gearbox housing and covers are manufactured from aluminium to aid with the weight requirements, the Neeter Drive units are already a compact design and the seals and oil were designed in to the customers specification.

As well as these features, the units have special designed shafts and covers and the units are also chemically treated to the customer specifications. Three units are supplied for each Howitzer, each one different, two are based upon the standard N35 gearbox design and the third is a bespoke design based around a set of N35 gears. Many different prototypes were manufactured and tested in vigorous terrain and weather conditions, each design slightly different until the final design was settled upon. The final design has not yet seen service, but has been put through a more rigorous test than the prototypes.

Two of the gearboxes are power driven and the third is used as a hand wind facility, all units are used in the elevation of the gun, prior to its use.

In recent years Neeter Drive gearboxes have been utilised in many military applications a few examples include the BAE guns, satellite communication and mine sweeping equipment.

BAE Systems used Neeter Drives range N spiral bevel gearboxes. The range-N is renowned for its ultra compactness and is available in five sizes and five ratios. The five sizes are Series-35, 37, 38, 39 and 40 offer as standard housings manufactured from spheroidal graphite Iron, high quality precision cut Gleason gears which helps to reduce the overall noise levels of the units, taper roller bearings, shouldered through shafts giving greater torque handling and as well as shaft seals, all housing covers are fitted with o-ring seals. Options include hollow output shaft, motor mounting input shafts. Other features available upon request include, stainless steel shafts and special material housings / coatings. Minor alterations, including longer shafts, shorter shafts, spigots on covers, special input / output flanges, and special materials, the options are endless.

Neeter Drive based within the Power Jacks Group factory site in Fraserburgh Aberdeenshire are able to offer wide-ranging help with your requirements, our engineering team and extensive network of Area Sales Mangers will be only to pleased to assist in helping you select the right unit for your application. We are also able to offer support worldwide for our products through our network of distributors.

Information on Neeter Drives products is available on the Power Jacks website at www.powerjacks.com. The site is a wealth of information giving an insight to Neeter Drives history in the company profile, news on the activities of the company and its parent Power Jacks Group.

For further information on any of our products, please contact us on 01346 513131 or visit the website at www.powerjacks.com

Bruce Hamper
Product & Marketing Director

Neeter Drive
Power Jacks Group
Maconochie Road , Fraserburgh
Aberdeenshire AB43 8TE
Scotland ( UK)

Tel: +44 (0) 1346 513131
Fax: +44 (0) 1346 516827
Email: sales@powerjacks.com

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