APPH designs and manufactures

hydraulic Hydraulics (from Greek: Υδραυλική) is a technology and applied science using engineering, chemistry, and other sciences involving the mechanical properties and use of liquids. At a very basic level, hydraulics is the liquid counte ...

systems, filtration, and

landing gear Landing gear is the undercarriage of an aircraft or spacecraft that is used for takeoff or landing. For aircraft it is generally needed for both. It was also formerly called ''alighting gear'' by some manufacturers, such as the Glenn L. Martin ...

for civil and military aircraft. It is presently owned by the Canadian aerospace supplier

Héroux-Devtek Héroux-Devtek Inc. is an international company specializing in the design, development, manufacture, repair and overhaul of landing gear, actuation systems and components for the aerospace market. Founded in 1942, the company's head office is ...

, which completed the firm's acquisition during February 2014. APPH was founded as ''AP Precision Hydraulics'' during 1951, being originally based in

Speke Speke () is a suburb of Liverpool. It is southeast of the city centre. Located near the widest part of the River Mersey, it is bordered by the suburbs of Garston and Hunts Cross, and nearby to Halewood, Hale Village, and Widnes. The rural are ...

. It relocated on several occasions before adopted its current location in

Sandymoor Sandymoor is a civil parish in Runcorn, Halton, Cheshire, England, with a population of approximately 2,678. The majority of housing in Sandymoor was built post-1990 and the parish was formed in 2008 by the ''Halton (Parish Electoral Arrangemen ...

, Runcorn. APPH was acquired by BBA Group in September 1987; numerous businesses acquired by its corporate parent would be aligned or wholly integrated with APPH over the following decades. The firm established a new division focused upon its aerospace filtration activities during 2000. APPH's former owner,

BBA Aviation Signature Aviation is a British multinational aviation services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. The company has been known by numerous names over the years, having been founded as ''W. Wilson Cobbett Ltd'' in 1879; it was ren ...

, seeking to reduce its exposure to the manufacturing sector, opted to sell it to Héroux-Devtek Inc during the 2010s.

History

APPH originally commenced operations during 1951 as ''AP Precision Hydraulics'' (routinely shortened to ''APPH''), being the British subsidiary of Automotive Products, Leamington Spa, England. At the time of its formation, the company was based on Shaw Road in

. A core element of the business was its advanced engineering design division, which has performed the design, certification, test and support of

systems and

for numerous aircraft, including helicopters, fighter aircraft, civilian airliners and

business jet A business jet, private jet, or bizjet is a jet aircraft designed for transporting small groups of people. Business jets may be adapted for other roles, such as the evacuation of casualties or express parcel deliveries, and some are used by pu ...

s. During 1986, APPH was approached by the British industrial interest BBA Group, who sought to acquire the firm that specialised in aircraft undercarriages and

hydraulics Hydraulics (from Greek: Υδραυλική) is a technology and applied science using engineering, chemistry, and other sciences involving the mechanical properties and use of liquids. At a very basic level, hydraulics is the liquid counte ...

; at the time, BBA Group sought to diversify itself from its main operations as automotive supplier and viewed APPH as a strong gateway into the aerospace industry. In September 1987, the arrangements for BBA Group to purchase APPH were finalised with the ownership changing hands in exchange for £25 million (£ million current value). On 3 October 1995, the company formally begun trading under the name ''APPH''. As the firm acquired further businesses, such as Arnoni Aviation Services Inc., Airight Inc. and Trinity Aerospace, these companies also took on the APPH branding. During 2000, APPH established a new division focused upon aerospace filtration, the decision being heavily influenced by the awarding as contract by the British engine manufacturer

Rolls-Royce Holdings Rolls-Royce Holdings plc is a British multinational aerospace and defence company incorporated in February 2011. The company owns Rolls-Royce, a business established in 1904 which today designs, manufactures and distributes power systems for ...

to supply all the fuel and oil filters for the new

Trent 500 The Rolls-Royce Trent 500 is a high-bypass turbofan produced by Rolls-Royce to power the larger A340-500/600 variants. It was selected in June 1997, first ran in May 1999, first flew in June 2000, and achieved certification on 15 December 20 ...

turbofan The turbofan or fanjet is a type of airbreathing jet engine that is widely used in aircraft propulsion. The word "turbofan" is a portmanteau of "turbine" and "fan": the ''turbo'' portion refers to a gas turbine engine which achieves mechanic ...

engine. Prior to this reorganisation, APPH had been a long-established supplier of filters, such as those used in virtually every engine manufactured by Rolls-Royce in addition to the majority of aircraft produced by the various business based in the United Kingdom. Filter production had been originally carried out at the Leamington Spa site, being relocated to Tippinges Road, Bolton, as a consequence of the business' expansion. APPH has received repeated deals with the Ministry of Defence to supply and support various military aircraft operated by the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

, including the

Hawker Siddeley Nimrod The Hawker Siddeley Nimrod is a retired maritime patrol aircraft developed and operated by the United Kingdom. It was an extensive modification of the de Havilland Comet, the world's first operational jet airliner. It was originally designed ...

British Aerospace Jetstream The British Aerospace Jetstream is a small twin-turboprop airliner, with a pressurised fuselage, developed as the ''Jetstream 31'' from the earlier Handley Page Jetstream. A larger version of the Jetstream was also manufactured, the Britis ...

and Hawker Siddeley Dominie. Various international military services, including the

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

, and

US Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sig ...

, have also contracted APPH to apply its specialist support for their fleets. Numerous first-rate aerospace manufacturers, such as

AgustaWestland AgustaWestland was an Anglo-Italian helicopter design and manufacturing company, which was a wholly owned subsidiary of Finmeccanica (now known as Leonardo). It was formed in July 2000 as an Anglo-Italian multinational company, when Finmeccani ...

and Embraer, have appointed APPH to design and support the landing gear and associated systems of their aircraft. On 3 February 2014, the Canadian aerospace group Héroux-Devtek Inc acquired APPH from

, purchasing 100 percent of the share capital at a cost of US$124M. Prior to the acquisition, APPH was the sole British-owned landing gear specialist in operation. On 10 June 2021, protestors from direct action group Palestine Action "stormed, scaled and occupied" an APPH drone factory in

Runcorn Runcorn is an industrial town and cargo port in the Borough of Halton in Cheshire, England. Its population in 2011 was 61,789. The town is in the southeast of the Liverpool City Region, with Liverpool to the northwest across the River Mersey. ...

, claiming that APPH produces landing gear for Elbit Systems drones used in the

Israeli-Palestinian conflict Israelis ( he, יִשְׂרָאֵלִים‎, translit=Yīśrāʾēlīm; ar, الإسرائيليين, translit=al-ʾIsrāʾīliyyin) are the citizens and nationals of the State of Israel. The country's populace is composed primarily of Jew ...

. Activists daubed red paint on the exterior, dismantled drone and aircraft machinery and destroyed windows.

Aircraft Landing Gear

APPH is an established supplier of landing gear to both military and civilian sectors of the aviation industry. Aircraft fitted as such include: * Airbus Helicopters

H175 The Airbus Helicopters H175 is a 7-ton class super-medium utility helicopter produced by Airbus Helicopters (formerly Eurocopter Group). In China, the H175 is produced by the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) as the Avicopter AC352. ...

British Aerospace British Aerospace plc (BAe) was a British aircraft, munitions and defence-systems manufacturer. Its head office was at Warwick House in the Farnborough Aerospace Centre in Farnborough, Hampshire. Formed in 1977, in 1999 it purchased Marcon ...

Jetstream 31/32 *

Jetstream 41 *

Saab Saab or SAAB may refer to: Brands and enterprises * Saab Group, a Swedish aerospace and defence company, formerly known as SAAB, and later as Saab AB ** Datasaab, a former computer company, started as spin off from Saab AB * Saab Automobile, a fo ...

340 Year 340 (Roman numerals, CCCXL) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Acindynus and Valerius (or, less frequently, year 1093 ...

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...

JAS 39 Gripen The Saab JAS 39 Gripen (; English: ''griffin'') is a light single-engine multirole fighter aircraft manufactured by the Swedish aerospace and defense company Saab AB. The Gripen has a delta wing and canard configuration with relaxed stabilit ...

Gripen NG * BAE Systems Hawk *

Alenia Aeronautica Alenia Aeronautica was an Italian aerospace company. Its subsidiaries included Alenia Aermacchi and Alenia Aeronavali. Alenia Aeronautica was also the part-owner of ATR, a joint venture with European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS ...

C-27J The Alenia C-27J Spartan is a military transport aircraft developed and manufactured by Leonardo's Aircraft Division (formerly Alenia Aermacchi until 2016). It is an advanced derivative of Alenia Aeronautica's earlier G.222 (C-27A Spartan in ...

AW101 (Merlin) *

AW159 (Wildcat) * Britten-Norman Islander * Britten-Norman Trislander

References

{{reflist

External links

APPH

Héroux-Devtek

Video clips

Company in 2012
1985 establishments in England Aircraft component manufacturers of the United Kingdom Aircraft undercarriage manufacturers Companies based in Cheshire Companies established in 1985 Borough of Halton