Esterline CMC Electronics has announced a handful of contracts at Farnborough for a selection of products across its high-technology portfolio.
Airbus Helicopters has selected the CMA-9000 flight management system (FMS) and CMA-5024 GPS landing system for its new AS332 L1e and AS332 C1e. The CMA-9000 FMS and CMA-5024 GPS have also been picked as the navigation solution for the airframer’s enhanced EC225e, due to make its debut in 2016.
CMC’s FMS equipment is already in service on over 1,000 Airbus Helicopters types, says Esterline CMC president Greg Yeldon.
CMC has also clinched the first sales of its SwiftBroadband compliant satellite communications (SATCOM) system from Canadian carrier WestJet. The intermediate gain antenna system, called CMA-2200SB, will be fitted to the airline’s Boeing 737NG production aircraft, with first delivery scheduled for September.
Meanwhile, the CMC PilotView electronic flight bag (EFB) has received supplemental type certification for Kazakhstani carrier Air Astana’s 757 and 767 fleet.
Yedlon says business aviation is a key market for Canadian company. As well as PilotView, its SureSight enhanced vision system sensor has proved popular in the segment, featuring on the Bombardier Global business jet family; Dassault Falcon 900, 2000 and 7X; and the Boeing Business Jet.
“Business aviation is an early adopter of new technology,” says Yeldon. He admits, however, that the flightdeck market has proved harder to penetrate.
CMC entered the sector in 2010 through its acquisition from L-3 Avionics Systems of the SmartDeck system, but low take-up of the integrated glass cockpit – Czech airframer Evektor is one of the few companies to have selected it for its in-development EV-55 Outback – persuaded to company to exit the market.
“This is very competitive arena,” Yeldon admits. “It is dominated by established and entrenched players such as Garmin, Rockwell Collins and Honeywell,” he says.
Yeldon says while CMC no longer produces SmartDeck, it is continuing to support the system for the EV-55 twin-engined turboprop which is earmarked for service entry in 2016.
Visitors to the CMC stand can view the Cockpit 9000 integrated digital cockpit demonstrator - featuring technology installed on legacy Lockheed Martin C-130s and other transport aircraft - and the Cockpit 4000NG - which was launched at Farnborough 2012.
This integrated avionics suite is an evolution of the Cockpit 4000 which is installed in the Beechcraft T-6B, T-6C and AT-6 demonstrator, the Korea Aerospace Industries KT-1C and KT-1T and the BAE Systems Hawk Mk-51 and Mk66 trainers.
Source: Flight Daily News
