Cerberus Guinard is confident it can still increase its share of the fire detection market, bolstered by recent safety legislation, despite losing the contract for the Boeing Next Generation 737 to Kidde Technologies.
The French company claims that, although its system is more modern, the fact that Kidde could offer a package with both detection and extinguishing counted against it. This has not prevented one major US carrier ordering the Cerberus system for retrofit after delivery of their 737NGs, however.
The company says its Barfield retrofit kit is to receive US approval for all 737s shortly. The requirement for such equipment follows the March issue of a US rule change, requiring all Class D cargo compartments to be fitted with fire detection by March 2001.
Cerberus points out that it has a system based on the the Arinc 429 avionics databus, selected by Airbus for the A320 and A330/340, but says that Boeing declined to consider this for the 737.
Source: Flight International
