Alenia Aerospazio has issued a request for proposals for a new flight control system for the AMX International AMX trainer/light attack aircraft.
The company confirms that a tender has been launched for a fully digital flight control computer to replace the aircraft's ageing computer, which is reaching the limits of its capabilities. The new computer is intended to allow a substantial margin for growth and is primarily intended for export aircraft, although it will also be offered as a retrofit to the Italian and Brazilian air forces.
The AMX, produced by a partnership of Italy's Alenia and Aermacchi, and Embraer of Brazil, recently won its first export order from Venezuela in a package with the Aermacchi MB339FD jet trainer. The country is expected to buy a mixed total of 20-40 aircraft, with deliveries beginning in early 2000.
Alenia says that it has selected Israel's Elbit to supply the avionics suite for the two-seat AMX ATA aircraft ordered by Venezuela. For now this package is only for the Venezuelan configuration.
The avionics suite is to be the same as that integrated by Elbit in the Brazilian Embraer EMB- 312H Super Tucano.
Earlier suggestions that Elta of Israel was a potential radar supplier for the aircraft have been dispelled, with the main candidates now the Tecnasa/SMA SCP-01 Scipio radar used in Brazil's AMX, or a variant of the Fiar Grifo radar.
Source: Flight International
