Julian Moxon/PARIS
A major initiative to design a new generation of avionics has been launched by the European Commission (EC) under its Fifth Framework research programme.
Co-ordinated by Thales Avionics (formerly Thomson-CSF Sextant) the Victoria project aims to develop a totally new avionics architecture that integrates all cockpit, inflight entertainment and information systems.
"Avionics is at a critical point", says Thales' Victoria programme manager, Joseph Huysseune. "Although Boeing developed a system for the 777, it is based on a company architecture. So far no-one has managed to develop open architecture modular integrated avionics for a commercial aircraft. We have a strong feeling that it can be done now". He adds that the Victoria project "will provide standardised interfaces between all of the basic resources and onboard applications. It will lead to far- reaching changes in the work done by suppliers, along with a complete restructuring of the subcontracting system".
Huysseune says the work will reduce the amount of space taken by avionics systems by 30%, with an associated cut in maintenance time and costs.
The project is set to last three years, which means that the resulting architecture will not be available for the initial version of the Airbus A380. "We expect Victoria-type avionics systems to begin appearing around 2008/2010", says Alain Martre, Thales head of A380 programmes "so it will definitely apply to future versions of the aircraft".
The project - which has a budget of €83 million ($77 million) - is financed equally by the EC and industry. It continues earlier work carried out under the EC's Nevada programme, and brings together 33 companies, research centres and universities throughout Europe including Alenia, Ericsson and BAE Systems.
Source: Flight International
