Malta is the latest country to join Europe's Flysafe research programme to develop next-generation integrated safety avionics. Work under the four-year programme begins this month, with Thales Avionics leading a consortium of 35 European industry and research organisations.
The programme, worth more than €50 million ($65 million) and funded under the European Commission's Sixth Framework research mechanism, aims to develop integrated airborne systems for safety improvement, hazard protection and all-weather operation. The goal is to provide comprehensive and accurate safety situation awareness in all phases of flight.
Research will focus primarily on the identification and mitigation of hazards such as terrain, weather, turbulence and other aircraft. The programme aims to develop new sensors and sensor-fusion technologies, improved weather-data communications, interactive displays and an onboard means of integrating the information.
The University of Malta will work on development of warning systems to alert crews of the danger of ground collision in the airport terminal area, collaborating with the UK's Cranfield University.
Source: Flight International
