Airbus INDUSTRIE has selected Honeywell and Sextant Avionique/Smiths Industries to supply future air navigation system (FANS)-capable flight-management systems (FMS)on its aircraft from 1998.
Honeywell plans to gain certification for its upgraded FMSon the A330 and A340 in April 1998, with A319/320/321 approval following six months later. Sextant/Smiths has not revealed a firm timetable because the alliance does not yet have a customer. The new FMS will offer "the full functions of the present A340 FMS and FANS-A capability, with additional functions [available] the following year [1999]", says Airbus.
Airbus' decision to offer a choice of two vendors has, however, been criticised by one major Airbus operator, which says it would prefer the consortium to select a single supplier and fit its equipment as standard. "It would be better for us if there was only one option," says Burkard Wigger, manager technical standards at Lufthansa's flight-operations division.
"It is complicated if you lease aircraft in or sell aircraft to another operator, and with two installations, we [the operators] will have to pay for both certifications," Wigger adds.
Airbus says that the move is aimed at offering airlines the option of using a common FMS across their Airbus and Boeing 737 fleets, as the latter type has a Smiths FMS fitted as standard.
Smiths says that it has been negotiating with Sextant for more than a year over issues such as workshare, and possibly licensing production to the French company. "We expect to reach some detailed agreements fairly shortly," Smiths says .
Source: Flight International
