Commercial Aviation

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., 22 Feb. 2012. GE Intelligent Platforms in Charlottesville, Va., is introducing an enhanced version of the ICS-8580 rugged high definition video compression Express Mezzanine Card (XMC) module for video applications in aerospace and defense systems. The XMC helps users capture, transmit, and store high quality moving images at high speed with low latency and with minimal consumption of bandwidth or disk space, GE officials say.

PRODUCT INTELLIGENCE, 21 Feb. 2012.There’s one thing all electronics need, and that’s power. Power supplies and converters are important parts of the system they inhabit, and as such need to meet rigorous standards lest the entire system shut down for want, or excess, of power. Systems integrators who are looking to purchase power supplies and converters need to weigh reliability, weight, power and cost carefully.

BLAGNAC, France, Feb. 20, 2012. The A350 XWB’s new engine – the Rolls-Royce Trent XWB – has made its maiden flight aboard Airbus’ dedicated A380 “Flying-Test-Bed” aircraft.

TOULOUSE, France, 19 Feb. 2012. Drukair, the flag carrier of the Eastern Himalayan mountain Kingdom of Bhutan, is buying one Airbus A319 aircraft fitted with fuel-saving sharklet wingtips for fuel savings and the performance necessary for routine operations at extremely high altitudes. Drukair operates out of one of the world’s most challenging airports at Paro, Bhutan, which at an elevation of 7,300 feet is more than a mile high.

TORONTO, Canada, Feb., 18, 2012. Bombardier Aerospace confirmed that Ethiopian Airlines is the customer that placed the firm order for five Q400 NextGen airliners announced on February 13, 2012.

SINGAPORE, 17 Feb. 2012. BOC Aviation executives have selected Rockwell Collins avionics, including the company’s WXR-2100 MultiScan Threat Detection System and GLU-925 Multi-Mode Receiver (MMR), to serve as the baseline for up to 30 new Airbus A320 aircraft, deliveries of which begin this year. The chosen Rockwell Collins baseline avionics package also includes Automatic Direction Finder, Distance Measuring Equipment, High Speed Data Radio, a Very High Frequency Transceiver, and Omnidirectional Radio.

HIAWATHA, Iowa, 15 Feb. 2012. Crystal Group Inc in Hiawatha, Iowa, is introducing the RE0412 rugged embedded computer for airborne and ground-mobile applications in which performance, ruggedness, and reliability are imperative. The RE0412 features an Intel mini-ITX board, i3 (Desktop) CPU, DC power inputs from 18 to 36 volts DC, one fan for air-over-components cooling with 8000-hour mean time between failures, and conformal coating options for humidity protection.

BLAGNAC, France, 15, Feb., 2012. ALAFCO Aviation Lease And Finance Company, a Kuwait-based international aircraft leasing company, has finalized a purchase order for 35 A320neo Family aircraft bringing its total backlog for the type to 85.

CHARLOTTE, N.C., 15 Feb. 2012. Goodrich Corp. (NYSE:GR), a member of the industry team building the Sikorsky Aircraft S-97 Raider next-generation helicopter scheduled for U.S. military evaluation in 2014, will deliver high-speed flexible couplings, an advanced tail propulser drive shaft system, a SmartProbe air data system, and a lightweight, efficient LED lighting system. These avionics systems and components will be developed and produced by Goodrich teams in Rome, N.Y., Burnsville, Minn., and Oldsmar, Fla.

SUNNYVALE, Calif., 15 Feb. 2012. Real-Time Innovations (RTI) in Sunnyvale, Calif., is introducing the RTI Connext family of software-engineering tools to connect real-time software applications across an enterprise. RTI Connext is a service-oriented architecture (SOA) tool designed to help provide enterprise-wide integration to improve efficiency, responsiveness, and real-time business intelligence, RTI officials say.

DALLAS, 13 Feb. 2012. The new Bell 525 Relentless super-medium helicopter, unveiled by Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. company (NYSE:TXT), during Heli-Expo 2012 in Dallas, features a state-of-the-art flight deck, ARC Horizon, that takes advantage of the Garmin G5000H integrated avionics suite. Larry D. Roberts, senior vice president of Bell Helicopter's Commercial Business characterizes the Horizon flight deck as "one of the most compelling elements of the new Bell 525 Relentless."

ANNAPOLIS, Md., 12 Feb. 2012. Radio communications experts at ARINC Inc. in Annapolis, Md., are using supercomputers to help systems integrators design and analyze the performance of complex antennas. Complex Antenna Engineering and Analyses. The ARINC Advanced Systems Engineering and Integration Division has installed a Linux-based supercomputer to support engineering analyses for ARINC’s external customers. The company’s previous supercomputer also remains available.

ANNAPOLIS, Md., 12 Feb. 2012. Commercial aircraft operators may start using an air traffic management (ATM) communications technology called the FANS 1/A over HFDL (FOH), after officials of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved FOH as a viable means of Air Traffic Service (ATS) communications. This means commercial aircraft may start using the global High Frequency Data Link (HFDL) network to communicate with air traffic controllers.

BLAGNAC, France, 11 Feb., 2012. Air Namibia, the national airline of the Republic of Namibia, has ordered two new Airbus A319 aircraft.

TOULOUSE, France, 10 Feb. 2012. An Airbus A320 test aircraft flew from Toulouse to Copenhagen and Stockholm in what company executives are calling the world’s first flight using four-dimensional optimized and upgraded air traffic management (ATM) technology. The test flight is part of the Initial-4D (I-4D) project, intended to reduce fuel burn and C02 emissions, reduce the environmental impact per flight by ten percent, and decrease delays for shorter, smoother flights. It is also expected to help not only improve the existing European system, which is reaching its capacity limit, but also transform today’s air traffic management system.

MIDDLETON, Wis., 10 Feb. 2012. Extreme Engineering Solutions Inc. (X-ES) is introducing the XPand4201 sub-half ATR forced-air-cooled embedded computing enclosure for conduction-cooled modules in military embedded systems and similar applications like command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; avionics; helicopters; fixed-wing aircraft; and unmanned vehicles.

SEATTLE, 10 Feb. 2012. The Boeing Company in Seattle revealed a team of suppliers that will provide key components for the U.S. Air Force's KC-46A tanker. The aircraft manufacturer won a U.S. Air Force contract valued at more than $30 billion last year.

NASHUA, N.H., 9 Feb. 2012. Avionics Europe, the premier avionics conference and exhibition tackling issues and challenges of import to civil and defense avionics professionals, is complementing its conference program with informative workshops and forums. Avionics Europe is being held March 21-22, 2012 in Munich, Germany.
Leading industry organizations—including the Association of European Airlines, SESAR Joint Undertaking, EUROCAE, the German Aerospace Society, and the Royal Aeronautical Society—will host a series of special forums, focusing on important issues facing and impacting the work and business of avionics professionals and the industry at large.

BOHEMIA, N.Y., 7 Feb. 2012. Data Device Corp. (DDC) in Bohemia, N.Y., is introducing the BU-67401L low-power dual MIL-STD-1553 transceiver for avionics and other military networking and communications applications. the device measures 7 by 7 millimeters. The BU-67401L transceiver offers options for MIL-STD-1553A/B, MIL-STD-1760, and McAir compatibility to fit a wide range of ground and aerospace applications from mission computers and displays to ground vehicles and commercial aircraft.