Aerospace and Defense Ground Equipment
Components and Hydraulics from One Supplier
Hydroforce makes hydraulic cylinders, motors and pumps, machined components and gears, die-cast housings, sintered and MIM parts, and carbide wear parts for aircraft jacks and ground support equipment, hangar maintenance platforms, test rigs and actuation test benches, defence logistics vehicles and cranes, deployable shelters and masts, and antenna positioners and slewing drives.
Why Aerospace and Defense Ground Equipment Wears Parts Differently
Much of the ground equipment in this trade stands unused for long periods and is then expected to work straight away. An aircraft jack, a mast or a deployable shelter may sit idle between tasks and must then go through its full stroke with no warm-up. Our cylinders are rated for -50°C to +200°C, and a cold start after a night outdoors falls within that range.
We build specialised cylinders for military and aerospace use where reliability comes first, and a ground jack, a platform lift or a test-rig actuator falls into that group. A jack or a platform lifts a structure worth far more than the cylinder underneath it. For such lifts we use synchronized multi-point lifting systems and plunger cylinders with precision seals and piston feedback, with sensors that report position, pressure and temperature over CANopen, IO-link or an analog signal.
On a test rig or an actuation test bench the cylinders run long duty cycles, and position and load feedback is logged on every stroke. For cylinders on high-cycle duty like this we forge the rod-eye and the rod from one bar. The forged joint has 3–5× higher fatigue resistance than a welded assembly. Before shipping, every cylinder is held at 1.5× working pressure for at least five minutes.
A mast extended by hand or a crane mounted high on a logistics vehicle chassis has to be light. Where the load allows, we machine its parts in aluminium (6xxx and 7xxx alloys) or titanium, and equipment enclosures can be die cast in aluminium as lightweight structural components. Each part, whether a jack cylinder or a positioner gear, ships with its material certificate and inspection record, and the record can be traced back to the production batch.
By Type of Equipment
Built for Every Hangar Floor and Every Deployment Site
Aircraft jacks and ground support equipment
telescopic and plunger-type hydraulic jacks with synchronized multi-point lifting and position and pressure sensors on CANopen or IO-link for load and height feedback. We also machine the shafts and bushings of the jack mechanism.
Hangar maintenance platforms
scissor and telescopic lift cylinders for mobile access platforms, driven by a hydraulic power unit with a gear pump, plus machined shafts and bushings for the lift mechanism.
Test rigs and actuation test benches
plunger cylinders with precision seals and piston feedback for long test runs, with forged rod-eyes to carry the high-cycle loads of a test bench. Position, pressure and temperature sensors report over CANopen, IO-link or an analog signal.
Defence logistics vehicles and cranes
boom cylinders with forged rod-eye ends for cranes and loaders, hydraulic pumps and motors driven from the vehicle PTO, and die-cast brackets and covers for equipment mounted on the vehicle.
Deployable shelters and masts
levelling and telescoping cylinders rated -50°C to +200°C for outdoor service, with synchronized multi-point lifting where a shelter is raised on several legs. Control cabinets and instruments go into die-cast enclosures.
Antenna positioners and slewing drives
slewing gears cut and then ground to ISO 1328, and radial-piston or planetary hydraulic motors that give high torque at low, controlled speed. We also machine the bearing seats and shafts of the positioner.
What We Make for Ground Equipment Builders
Six Technologies for Ground Support, Test and Defense Equipment Builders
Hydraulic Cylinders
Bore 20–1000 mm, working pressure up to 500 bar, stroke 6000 mm and beyond, total length up to 16000 mm, operating temperature from -50°C to +200°C; double-acting, single-acting, telescopic and plunger designs. An aircraft jack or a platform lift cylinder often stands idle between duties. When it is called on, it has to lift the load evenly and hold position without drift. Synchronized multi-point lifting systems and plunger cylinders with precision seals and piston feedback are designed for this work. Position, pressure and temperature sensors connect over CANopen, IO-link or an analog signal, and each lift point reports to the control system in real time. On cylinders for high-cycle duty, such as those on a test rig, the rod-eye is forged from the same bar as the rod. The forged joint has 3–5× higher fatigue resistance than a welded one. Each cylinder is held at 1.5× working pressure for at least five minutes before it leaves the workshop.
Typical parts
- Telescopic and plunger-type jacks with synchronized multi-point lifting for aircraft and ground structures
- Scissor and telescopic lift cylinders for maintenance platforms
- Cylinders with position, pressure and temperature sensors for test rigs and actuation test benches
- Cylinders with forged rod-eye ends for cranes on logistics vehicles
Hydraulic Motors and Pumps
Gear, planetary, axial-piston and radial-piston motors with displacement from 0.25 to 8000 cc/rev, working pressure up to 450 bar, speed from 0.5 to 12000 rpm and operating temperature from -40°C to +120°C. A ground support jack or a mobile maintenance platform usually runs from its own hydraulic power unit, and a gear pump at moderate speed and pressure suits that duty. A large positioner or a slewing drive with a hydraulic drive needs high torque at low, controlled speed, and we use radial-piston or planetary motors for it. Mounting flanges follow SAE and DIN, so a replacement motor or pump fits the original power unit without an adapter. Each unit gets a functional test and a pressure test against the catalogue values before dispatch.
Typical applications
- Gear pumps for the hydraulic power unit of a mobile jack or maintenance platform
- Radial-piston and planetary motors for hydraulically driven slewing drives
- Pumps driven from a logistics vehicle PTO for crane and loader circuits
- Replacement motors and pumps for power units already in service
Machining and Gears
Our Schiess lathes take shafts and housings up to 2 m in diameter and 16 m long, and we hold ±0.05 mm and IT6–IT7 fits on components machined in titanium, stainless and 6xxx/7xxx aluminium alloys. These materials keep a deployable structure or a vehicle-mounted crane light. We cut and grind gears for slewing and travel drives to ISO 1328, with grade 7 the usual requirement for a loaded stage. The gearbox of an antenna positioner or a logistics vehicle crane turns in short runs at high torque, mostly in the open, much like a hoist or slewing gearbox. When a gearbox has no drawing left, we measure the worn gear on the Zeiss Contura and cut the replacement to those measurements.
Typical parts
- Machined shafts, housings and bushings in titanium, stainless and aluminium for weight-sensitive equipment
- Slewing and travel gears cut and ground to ISO 1328 for positioner and vehicle drives
- Precision bearing seats and shafts for jack, platform and test rig mechanisms
- Replacement gears cut from a worn sample
Aluminium Die Casting
Our die-casting line makes lightweight structural components in aluminium for aerospace and defense applications. On ground equipment die casting is mostly used for control-panel and sensor housings, brackets and covers, cast to ±0.1–0.3 mm with Ra 1.6–6.3 µm in H13 or P20 tool steel dies that we build and keep on file. An outdoor enclosure for a shelter or for the control cabinet of an antenna positioner comes out of the die with its gland bosses and mounting flanges cast in, and the access cutouts are formed in the same shot. Anodising or powder coating then protects it against the weather.
Typical applications
- Control-panel and sensor housings for ground support and positioner equipment
- Outdoor enclosures with cast-in gland bosses and mounting flanges for shelters and antenna installations
- Brackets and covers for vehicle-mounted and fixed equipment
- Lightweight structural components, cast to ±0.1–0.3 mm and finished with anodising or powder coating
Powder Metallurgy and MIM
Compaction up to 800 MPa and sintering give a density up to 97%, with tolerance ±0.05 mm as sintered and ±0.02 mm for MIM parts, in steels including 17-4 PH and 316L. Sintered spur and helical gears, sprockets and pump gears suit the small drive stages inside a jack, a platform lift mechanism or a positioner gearbox. Our MIM line already produces small steel parts for locks and security hardware, and the same process makes levers, cams and gear trains for the latches and mechanisms on equipment cases, shelter doors and access panels. Porous filter elements sintered in titanium and superalloy can go into hydraulic and pneumatic circuits where a filter works at high temperature and is cleaned and reused.
Typical applications
- Sintered spur and helical gears and pump gears for jack, platform and positioner drive stages
- MIM levers, cams and gear trains for latches and mechanisms on equipment cases and shelter doors
- Porous filter elements sintered in titanium and superalloy for hydraulic and pneumatic circuits
- Wear-resistant bushings and small sintered components for ground equipment mechanisms
Cemented Carbides
In this sector cemented carbide has a modest place: plunger inserts and seal faces in the high-pressure pumps of test rig power units, and cutting tool blanks for the tooling that machines stainless and heat-resistant alloys. We sinter the K, P and M grade range to ISO 513 in-house at 1,350–1,500°C, and guide bores and seal faces are diamond ground to ±0.01 mm and Ra 0.1–0.4 µm. The M10–M20 grades are the cutting grades for stainless steel and heat-resistant alloys. Hot isostatic pressing brings a critical part to more than 99.9% of theoretical density where the duty needs it.
Typical applications
- Plunger inserts and seal faces for high-pressure pumps on test rig power units
- M-grade cutting tool blanks for machining stainless and heat-resistant alloys
- Wear-resistant bushings for pump and valve mechanisms
- Guide sleeves for mechanisms in hydraulic and pneumatic equipment
Cost Logic
Where the Budget Goes, and How We Keep the Price Down
Buyers compare a jack cylinder or a positioner drive with a catalogue part on unit price. We put the money into the details that decide whether a jack, a platform or a test rig actuator still holds its rated pressure and its sensor feedback after long periods in outdoor storage, and keep the rest of the order plain.
| We invest in | How we keep the price down |
|---|---|
| Forged rod-eye ends and welds executed to written procedures on cylinders built for high-cycle or shock duty | Standard mounting types (clevis, flange or trunnion) where the equipment layout allows it, with a custom mount only where it does not |
| Rod coatings and materials matched to the temperature and corrosion exposure (rated -50°C to +200°C): hard chrome, triplex or ceramic on the rod, titanium, stainless or exotic alloys in the body | Special coatings and exotic materials only on the parts that see extreme temperature or corrosion, standard chrome and carbon steel elsewhere |
| Position, pressure and temperature sensors on CANopen, IO-link or analog protocols for synchronised lifting and test-rig feedback | Sensors fitted only where the control system reads them |
| Pressure testing at 1.5× working pressure for at least five minutes, material certificates to EN 10204 3.1 and full inspection documentation on every unit | One setup for a batch of identical jacks, platform cylinders or positioner drives, and seal kits ordered later by the serial number engraved on the body |
Aftermarket
Replacement and Repair
Aerospace and defense ground equipment enquiries often reach us as a worn part with no drawing: an aircraft jack with a scored rod, a platform lift cylinder with a chipped seal groove, or a slewing gearbox on a positioner with worn teeth. We measure the bore, rod, stroke and mounting geometry on a cylinder, and the tooth count, module and bore diameter on a gear, then quote a rebuild or a replacement in the same envelope before any metal is cut. If the original part wore faster than it should have, we say why, for example a rod coating thinner than the duty needs, and recommend the finish or grade for the replacement.
A spare seal kit is supplied with each cylinder on request. Further kits are ordered by the serial number engraved on the body, so an operator can keep the right kit on the shelf for every jack, platform or test rig cylinder in service. Where a positioner drive, a jack or a defence vehicle fleet needs the same gear or cylinder again later, we keep the drawing and, for carbide, PM and MIM parts, the tooling on file, so a repeat order matches the first part with no redesign.
By drawing
By worn sample
Batches for a fleet
Seal kits by serial number
Documentation
Standards and Documentation
Components ship with material certificates, dimensional records and test protocols, referenced to the standards your programme works to.
| Standard | What it covers |
|---|---|
| ISO 6020 / ISO 6022 | Mounting dimensions for hydraulic cylinders, 160 bar and 250 bar series |
| ISO 4413 | Safety requirements for hydraulic systems and components |
| ISO 10100 | Acceptance tests for hydraulic cylinders |
| EN 10204 3.1 | Material certificate with traceable test results, on request |
| ISO 1328 / DIN 3960 | Accuracy classes for gear tooth geometry |
| EN 1706 | Chemical composition and mechanical properties of cast aluminium alloys |
| ISO 5755 / ISO 22068 | Specification for sintered PM and MIM materials |
| ISO 513 | Classification of cemented carbide grades |
Aviation, defence and vehicle rules apply to the complete aircraft, system or vehicle, and to the organisation that builds and approves it. For the components we supply, we provide material certificates, dimensional reports and test protocols referenced to the standards above and to the drawing you send us.
Our quality system is certified to ISO 9001:2015. More on inspection stages and equipment: Quality.
Quality
Quality Control
Every order goes through three inspection stages. We check incoming material against its certificate, and where the grade matters, for example a forged rod blank or a carbide powder lot, we also run a spectrochemical analysis. During machining we measure with Renishaw probes on the machine and on a Zeiss Contura CMM with an error under 3 µm, checked on schedule every 45 machine hours.
Hydraulic cylinders for jacks, platforms and test rigs are pressure tested at 1.5× working pressure with a leak check at every seal and a full stroke with no stick-slip; sensor-equipped units get a functional check of the position, pressure or temperature feedback before dispatch. Gears for slewing and positioner drives are measured for profile, lead, pitch and runout against their ISO 1328 grade, with hardness and case depth checked after heat treatment. Die-cast housings and enclosures are X-rayed for porosity at sealing faces before machining. Sintered PM and MIM parts are checked for density, hardness and dimensions on every lot, with weight control on MIM green parts as an early warning of a feedstock drift. Carbide parts are ground to their functional tolerance, tested for Rockwell hardness and checked under the microscope for grain size and binder distribution. Third-party inspection can be arranged on request, and the documentation stays with the batch.
More detail: Quality.
From Hydroforce
From Our Workshop
Hydraulic Piston Rods: The Machining Chain That Defines Cylinder Life
The article follows a piston rod through turning, induction hardening, hard chrome plating, grinding and polishing, all done in-house. Rods finished to Ra ≤ 0.1 µm go into plunger systems and synchronised lifting platforms of the kind used on this equipment.
Read more → Die CastingAluminum Die-Cast Housings for LED Lighting and Industrial Applications
Heat sinks, outdoor enclosures, brackets and covers cast to ±0.1–0.3 mm and finished with anodising or powder coating. The same type of housing suits the control cabinet of a shelter, a mast or an antenna positioner.
Read more → Powder MetallurgySintered Porous Metal Filters: Engineering Porosity as the Product
Bronze, stainless, nickel and titanium filter elements with a controlled pore network, backwashable and rated for high temperature, sized to a hydraulic or pneumatic circuit's flow and cleanliness needs.
Read more →Procurement FAQ
FAQ
What documentation do you supply for aerospace and defense ground equipment?
Cylinders ship with EN 10204 3.1 certificates for the structural steels and a pressure test certificate logged against the serial number on the body. Gears come with their ISO 1328 inspection report and hardness and case-depth records where heat treatment applies. Die-cast housings and enclosures ship with a CMM dimensional report and, on porosity-sensitive zones, an X-ray check. Carbide, PM and MIM parts ship with a material certificate for the powder lot and a dimensional report. Aviation, defence and vehicle rules apply to the complete aircraft, system or vehicle and to the organisation that builds and approves it; we document the components we supply to your drawing.
Can you rebuild a jack or platform cylinder, or cut a gear for a positioner, from a worn sample with no drawing?
Yes. Send us the part, or photos with the bore, rod, stroke and mounting dimensions for a cylinder, or the tooth count, module and bore for a gear. We take the geometry off the sample and quote before any metal is cut. If the part wore faster than it should have, we will tell you what to change on the replacement, for example the rod coating or the gear case depth, so it lasts longer this time.
We run a fleet of identical ground support units or vehicles. Can you supply as a batch?
Yes. Once the first cylinder, gear or housing has been quoted and tested against your drawing or sample, further units run as a batch, with the same certificates and tests on every piece and one setup for the run. The drawing and, for die-cast, PM and MIM parts, the tooling stay on file, so a repeat order matches the first part with no redesign.
What is the minimum order and the lead time?
A single cylinder is fine, with the same certificates and tests as a series batch. For motors and gears, tell us the quantity and we will quote. Die casting, powder metallurgy and MIM are tool-based series processes, so send us your volumes and we will size the tooling. We quote the lead time with the offer: it depends on the material, the coating and the documentation package your programme asks for.
Related capabilities:
Get a Quote
Send us a drawing, a specification or a photo of the worn part with its measurements, and tell us what it is for: an aircraft jack, a maintenance platform, a test rig, a logistics vehicle or crane, a deployable shelter or mast, or an antenna positioner. We will quote the cylinder, motor, gear, die-cast housing, sintered or MIM part, or carbide component, made to tolerance and tested before dispatch, with the documentation your equipment needs.