The Aermacchi-developed M346 advanced lead-in fighter trainer aircraft has flown for the first time with both engines controlled via a Honeywell full-authority digital engine control (FADEC) system, one month ahead of schedule. The new FADEC was specifically developed by Honeywell for the M346, using its modular aerospace control (MAC) platform. The MAC creates a communications link between the modular electronics components that operate the engine.
The dual-channel FADEC controls the two Honeywell F124-200 turbofan engines installed on the aircraft, which is being used for flight-test development work. By 10 March, 50 flights totalling over 55h had been completed. Honeywell's dual-channel FADEC design for the M346 is among the first aerospace uses of a time-triggered protocol (TTP) bus. The TTP architecture differs from event-driven systems by sharing data between both channels at the same time, eliminating the need for data transfers if one channel shuts down.
PINO MODOLA/GENOA
Source: Flight International