Goodyear Radials Beat Competitor by 56% in USAF F-16 Test

SINGAPORE, Feb. 25, 2004 -- In a head-to-head battle for tire business on the F-16 Fighting Falcon, the United States Air Force notified The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company that its radial aviation tires won a USAF performance shootout with a major competitor.

Goodyear Flight Radials beat a Michelin radial tire design by 56 percent on the F-16 block 40 main landing gear, according to results of the USAF competitive evaluation. Goodyear officials said the win is significant since the Air Force uses the test results in its annual procurement awards.

The Akron, Ohio, USA, tire company announced today the major win in the Aviall booth at the Asian Aerospace air show here.

Flight Radials received the top 41.5 landing index rating, the expected life of the tire. The Air Force awards the majority of its annual procurement on tire life cycle cost, which is calculated by dividing a manufacturer's bid price by the landing index.

"This radial tire shootout was a great chance to showcase Goodyear radial tire superiority with the U.S. Air Force. This system ensures that the Air Force receives the best value for the taxpayer's dollars, while encouraging competition and fostering continuous product improvements," Ed Cannon, sales manager for Goodyear aviation tires, said.

"The latest of these improvements is the Goodyear Flight Radial, which is replacing bias tire designs on different military and commercial platforms," Cannon added. "We also are proud to be associated with Lockheed Martin's F-16 Fighting Falcon, the world's most prolific fighter with more than 2,000 in service with the U.S. Air Force."

In addition, another 2,000 F-16s are flying in 23 other countries, including here in Singapore. Goodyear radial aviation tires recently were selected by the Republic of Singapore Air Force.

Cannon said, "The Air Force's competitive evaluation certainly has earned its wings. Its credibility is unquestioned, and to earn the highest score is telling. In fact, since the F-16 was introduced into the Air Force inventory in 1979, the Fighting Falcon's main landing gear tire performance has increased nearly six-fold due to the Air Force's life cycle cost test."

Goodyear, the world leader in aviation tires, is committed to growing its radial tire share to help lower operational costs for commercial and military applications. The tiremaker supplies both radial and bias-ply tires for many F-16 variants used worldwide.