Julian Moxon/TOULOUSE
AEROSPATIALE HAS sold one of its ATEC Series 6 automated test systems to Singapore Airlines (SIA) for use on the carrier's Boeing 777s and Airbus A340s. The French company says that it expects the airline to order more "...once its 777 budget is in place". Delivery is set for March.
Aerospatiale has sold 36 ATEC Series 6s since its launch in 1993, putting sales performance slightly ahead of the company's earlier tester, the ATEC 5000. It sold 154 of those systems in 15 years and it is still selling, says Gerard Darteyre, Aerospatiale vice-president for sales and marketing.
The battle for the automated-test-systems market, has intensified with the arrival of new competitors, such as Israeli company RADA. These are attacking the established suppliers with what Darteyre calls an "aggressive" pricing policy.
Aerospatiale has been teamed with Honeywell since 1992 on joint development of the ATEC Series 6 and Honeywell's STS2000 system. Each product is operated using the Aerospatiale-developed, ARINC-standard Smart automated test software. This allows test programmes to be transferred between suppliers' equipment, "...but it also opens the door to increasing competition", says Darteyre.
Relations with Boeing are "improving" says Darteyre, despite Aerospatiale's obvious links with the Airbus Industrie consortium. "They accept that we have a good product which should be offered to all their customers," he says.
Boeing 777 customers Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways have ordered Atec Series 6 or STS 2000 systems, while 777 launch customer United Airlines, has purchased a pair of Series 6s.
In 1996, says Darteyre, agreements with Rockwell-Collins (which supplies most of the non-Honeywell 777 avionics) will mean that Aerospatiale can offer a Series 6 capable of testing every line-replaceable unit on the aircraft.
Source: Flight International
