A BOEING AV-8B Harrier II Plus of the US Marine Corps, fitted with avionics based on a commercial processor, made a successful first flight from the Naval Air Warfare Center at China Lake, California, on 29 May.
The Open Systems Core Avionics Requirements (OSCAR) programme is a US Department of Defense-backed project led by Boeing and is jointly funded by Italian and Spanish partners, which also operate the AV-8B, while the UK's Smiths Industries supplies the key weapons management and controls system update.
Boeing says that the hardware and software is commercial off the shelf (COTS), meaning that future capabilities can be added without significant investment.
The aircraft was flown "over a range of flight conditions" and performance was described by the USMC test pilot as "-impeccable".
The aim of the OSCAR update is to validate the open systems approach for application in harsh environments.
COTS equipment is not designed for such conditions, because of its personal-computer heritage, and must be isolated from extreme temperatures and vibration levels. Boeing plans to continue flight testing, to validate the OSCAR's use with weapons such as the Joint Direct Attack Munition.
Source: Flight International