The European Commission (EC) has given the go-ahead for a Fr140 million ($23.3 million) re-imbursable French Government subsidy to Sextant Avionique to help develop a flight-management system (FMS) for new Airbus aircraft.
Sextant plans to develop the FMS with Smiths Industries under a memorandum of understanding signed earlier in the year. This has not yet led to a formal agreement, however, a Smiths Industries source saying only that the UK company is "still talking" to Sextant Avionique about a system "which would allow us to produce what Airbus requires".
The EC says that the cash - which cannot amount to more than one-third of the total development cost "allows Airbus-to reduce its dependence on US company Honeywell".
Honeywell was quick to react to the EC move, saying that any suggestion of an FMS near-monopoly is a "great exaggeration-we have a standard position on several aircraft models as a result of winning fair and open competitions". It adds that it is "disappointed" that the EC "permits such an anti-competitive action".
Airbus says that the Sextant/ Smiths FMS, along with a parallel development from its traditional supplier, Honeywell, "will provide additional capacity to enable our aircraft to cope with FANS-A and FANS-B datalinks".
Source: Flight International
