FLIGHT-TESTING of the first Canadian Forces Lockheed Martin CC-130 fitted with an updated avionics suite is due to begin in September, says Edmonton-based prime contractor, CAE Aviation.
Although running several months late, mainly because of the greater-than-expected complexity of developing the upgrade, CAE is confident that all 32 aircraft in the Canadian fleet will be completed on schedule by 2000.
The update, given the go-ahead by the Department of National Defence in 1994, was slowed by the number of different cockpit configurations in the mixed Canadian fleet, as well as by "vagueness and misinterpretation of specifications", says the avionics upgrade project manager Tony Rotheram.
The fleet consists of 19 CC-130Es, two -Hs, two H-73s, two H-84s, five H-T tankers and two stretched H-30s. It represents up to four cockpit configurations.
All will be fitted with digital automatic flight-control systems, two attitude-heading and reference systems, two air-data devices, five electronic flight-instrument system displays, two ßight progress and warning units and standby indicators. The suite, the core of which is supplied by Rockwell Collins, via CAE, also includes a flight-management system, updated inertial- and satellite-based navigation systems, as well as flight-data and cockpit-voice recorders.
Source: Flight International
