Esterline CMC Electronics is launching its new Cockpit 4000 NexGen technology demonstrator for the military trainer market.
"It's really a showcase of technologies demonstrating the capabilities of CMC," says Patrick Champagne, the company's vice-president for cockpits and systems integration.
The new avionics suite includes a configurable glass cockpit featuring a 20in by 7in large area display. Unlike previous generation glass cockpit displays, CMC has incorporated touchscreen technology into the design.
Cockpit 4000 also includes a new all-digital raster capable head-up display. The entire system is run by a modular open architecture computer system, which company officials say should give NexGen plenty of room for growth.
The company hopes to provide the modernised version Cockpit 4000 to fill the training gap created by the forthcoming introduction of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, Champagne says. The idea is to provide a cockpit training solution to facilitate a seamless transition to aircraft like the F-35 from a student's initial training pipeline.
The company's initial goals are to integrate the new cockpit into the Hawker-Beechcraft CT-156 Harvard II version of the T-6 and the BAE Systems CT-155 Hawk jet trainer.
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Source: Flight Daily News
