Bombardier has unveiled a plan to retrofit the Challenger 605 with the Rockwell Collins avionics that will enter service next year on the updated Challenger 650.
The Canadian manufacturer launched the Challenger 650 on 20 October with several major updates, including a new version of the Vision flightdeck driven by the Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 Advanced system with synthetic vision and multi-scan weather radar.
Bombardier has not yet established pricing for the avionics retrofit on the Challenger 605. Company officials, meanwhile, are also open to offering the CF34-3B MTO engine as a retrofit option.
“We are in the early days of this upgrade programme, and we will be having those discussions with GE,” says Gary Martin, vice-president of services, sales and programmes for Bombardier.
Bombardier is making the Pro Line 21 Advanced-based Vision cockpit available as retrofit on Challenger 605 models. The first retrofit for the Challenger 605 is expected to be delivered in October 2015.
The avionics refresh follows Bombardier’s move to offer a similar retrofit package for the Challenger 300, as the Challenger 350 was introduced.
Pro Line 21 Advanced includes several new features, including FANS-1/A navigation, required navigation performance authorization required (RNP AR) 0.3, automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B), localizer performance with vertical guidance (LPV), head-up guidance system and enhanced vision.
Source: Flight Daily News
