Summary Collins Aerospace dominates ejection seat production for US jets. Around 6,000 Collin's ACE II ejection are estimated to be in service around the world. Collins' ACES II ejection seat has saved 713 lives and ACES 5 caters to wider pilot weights.
Only two major Western combat aircraft ejection seat manufacturers dominate non-Russian and Chinese ejection seat production. These are Collins Aerospace (now a subsidiary of RTX Corporation—formerly Raytheon) and the British defense contractor Martin Baker. They supply the ejection seats for everything from France's Rafale to the Raptor, the B-2 Spirit to the Saab Gripen.
Here are the US jets equipped with Collins Aerospace ejection seats (and eventually, the new Collins ACES 5 ejection seat ). Which military jets use Collins and Martin Baker ejection seats Collins Aerospace manufactures ejection seats for the F-16 Fighting Falcon (pre-Block 70/72 variants), F-15 Eagle, A-10 Warthog, B-2 Spirit, F-22 Raptor, and B-1 Lancer, which means it supplies the ejection seats for many of US military jets. ACES II ejection seats are fitted to US-made fighter jets, strategic bombers, and advanced trainers.
The B-52 Stratofortress has a peculiar downward-firing ejection seat system, and it is unclear which company manufactures those seats. New build F-16s are not fitted with ACES II seats. In 2020, Lockheed Martin selected the Martin Baker US18E Ejection Seat for the latest Block 70/72 F-16 variant .
Martin Baker also supplies all ejection seats for the F-35 Lightning II fifth-generation fighter. Fighter jets with Collins ejection seats: Select Fighter jets with Martin Baker ejection seats F-16 Fighting Falcon (pre-Block 70) F-16 Fighting Falcon (Block 70/72) F-15 Eagle/F-15EX Strike Eagle II F-35 Lightning II B-2 Spirit F/A-18 Hornet A-10 Warthog T-6 Texan II F-22 Raptor T-38 Talon B-1 Lancer Rafale (France) T-7A Red Hawk (planned) Eurofighter Typhoon (European consortium) F-117 Nighthawk JF-17 Thunder (Pakistan) Mitsubishi F-2 (Japanese license-produced F-16s) KR-21 Boramae (Korea) As a great deal of secrecy surrounds the B-21 Raider, it is unclear which ejection seat it is fitted with (although it could easily be a Collins seat). It is also unclear which ejection seats the future US NGAD fighter will be fitted with.
However, according to Aerosociety , Martin-Baker has shown a concept mock-up of a proposed Mk 20 reclining ejection seats that could be destined for NGAD. Martin Baker is one of the first companies to build ejection seats. It started in 1945 with ejection seats for the very first jet fighters.
Throughout the Cold War, it produced ejection seats for countless fighter jets—including Northrop F-5s, Mirage 2000s, F-14 Tomcats, A-6 Intruders, Harrier Jump Jets, and many more. The tragic loss of 80th Operations Support Squadron Capt. John Robertson prompts a discussion about ejection seats.
Collin's widely-used ACES II ejection seat According to Collins Aerospace , its ejection seats have saved the lives of 713 pilots and currently support almost 30 air forces around the world. The main Collins ejection seat is the ACES II, which is considered a third-generation ejection seat. Over 10,000 ACES II seats have been produced so far, and while it has now been in service for many years, it has been progressively updated.
"Currently providing support to 29 air forces worldwide, with an installed fleet of thousands of ACES II and hundreds of ACES 5 seats." - Collins Aerospace Collins ACES II ejection seat: Number of ejections: 713+ Number produced: Over 10,000 Air forces in use: 29 Number currently in service: Approx. 6,000 Ejection spinal injury rate: Less than 1% Collins has around 6,000 of its ACES II seats in service on various aircraft around the world, as well as hundreds of new ACES 5 seats.
The ACES II ejection seat was first introduced in 1978 and boasts an ejection spinal injury rate of less than 1%. Eighty-two years after its first flight, the aircraft is still used as a testbed. Collins' next-generation ejection seat In 2020, Collins was awarded a $700 million contract to qualify, produce, and field a next-generation ejection seat (NGES) intended for various US Air Force aircraft.
The NGES (ACES 5) is being built for the Air Force's expanded weight range for male and female aviators and will include many other technological advancements. Its seat propulsion system is designed to compensate for aircrew weight so that a 103-lb small female aircrew gets the same acceleration as a 245-lb male pilot. “Our customers around the world now require that their seats accommodate a broader range of pilot weight.
The old requirement was 140-211 pounds and was based on size profiles from individuals in the 1960s. The new one is 103-245 pounds, which reaches the 1st-99th percentile for body sizes today.” - Collins Aerospace The new ACES 5 will be compatible with existing jets, including the F-15, F-16, F-22, B-1, B-2, and A-10, as well as the T-7A Red Hawk trainer still in development.
Collins claims the new ACES 5 is the only seat that meets all 62 of the Air Force's airworthiness requirements for the new Red Hawk trainer..
