November 2022 - Aviation, Inflight and Aero Connectivity Consultants

Integrating Hardware and Software in Microprocessors to Expedite Avionics Certification

Pre-integrating hardware and software components can alleviate the complications surrounding multi-core processor certification. (Photo: Intel Corporation)

After decades of relying on single-core processors to power everything from flight controls to cockpit instrumentation panels, it appears avionics manufacturers are ready to embrace multi-core processors in the hopes of saving Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP) and achieving greater efficiency. But the move toward multi-core processors comes with significant concerns and complications that have impeded the ability to certify the technology.

Here, we will look at the complications surrounding multi-core processor certification and how pre-integrating hardware and software components can alleviate those issues, resulting in more efficient certification processes and safer equipment.

Multi-core complexity creates certification challenges

The concept of determinism dictates that every event has a cause. In compute terms, a two-core processor might have different cores sharing the same cache, each with its own cause.

Things can get complicated when the two converge. For example, a core handling non-safety-critical tasks could accidentally lock the cache, preventing the second core—which handles safety-critical tasks—from performing its functions. The more cores in the processor, the greater the chances of multi-channel interference between the cores.

It’s difficult to predict when or if this will happen, and that has made certifying multi-core processors historically challenging. Certification of any technology depends on that technology behaving in reliable and predictable ways. This is especially important in avionics, which holds strict Design Assurance Level (DAL) standards, particularly DAL-A and DAL-B.

Unfortunately, multi-processing has not traditionally been reliable or predictable, at least as far as avionics certification goes. Avionics manufacturers normally must run multiple cycles to determine possible failures, gather and parse swaths of data, and more—a time-consuming process.

Now, there are tangible and more efficient solutions built on pre-integrated hardware and software components, making multi-core interference much less of a concern. With these integrations, avionics manufacturers can more easily gather safety certification data from the hardware, creating a certification process that is efficient, faster, predictable, and safe.

Hardware integration addresses challenges and expedites certification

There are a few specific ways integrating hardware and software helps avionics teams address their determinism challenges and expedite their certification processes.

First, avionics manufacturers have typically needed to perform their own analysis and characterization of the processor chips they’ve purchased from vendors. That’s because most chips are provided with low-level data, requiring avionics teams to perform extensive due diligence to ensure that the chips’ data corresponds with DO-254 level safety standards.

Conversely, chips designed with both hardware and software in mind, and that already include this information, take much of the onus off avionics teams. They no longer need to concern themselves with combing through multitudes of data to ensure the chips comply with required safety standards and ensure critical workloads do not get preempted. CoreAVI and Intel are working together to help with the product developer’s bottom line. Both companies recognize how important aviation safety is for all and supporting avionics customers’ requirements. The benefits of time and engineering resources savings in platform safety certification are clear. A pre-integrated solution reduces system integrators’ risks and allows a quicker time to deployment.

Second, most multi-core processors include generic bootloaders or a Basic Input/Output System (BIOS), of which avionics manufacturers may only use a subset of specialized features. Since the cost to certify a single line of code can be extraordinarily high, avionics teams need to go through the systems and remove any unnecessary code that does not require certification. They must also ensure that codes comply with the parameters around DO-178C, which requires that each line of code have a purpose (or, again, cause).

Bootloaders and BIOS that have been pre-certified and manufactured to provide avionics manufacturers with only relevant code allow avionics teams to streamline their multi-core certification processes. A board support package with just enough data to get the system up and running is an example of a system that uses an integrated hardware and software approach to provide manufacturers with precisely what they need and no more.

A look forward

Improving and accelerating certification processes is only the beginning of a series of potentially game-changing use cases that could result from the use of multi-core processors in avionics.

Multi-core processing will play a key role in making air transportation both smarter and safer. Applications like artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) depend on multiple cores to be able to process information, such as wind speed and direction, from various sensors. This information is turned into actionable data that human pilots and self-piloted aircraft can use to make real-time decisions while in flight.

With enough data, a single pilot can fly without the need of a co-pilot and still effectively manage her journey; a drone can accurately drop off a package at a person’s doorstep; or the pilot of an air taxi can maximize the craft’s flight distance.

But these use cases also need the right amount of processing power to manage the data. Multi-core processors built with pre-integrated hardware and software deliver that power, creating greater efficiencies in certification and opportunities for the future.

This article was written by Debra Aubrey, Technical Product Marketing Manager, Federal and Aerospace, Intel Corporation.

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Investing in Live Sports for In-Flight Entertainment Helps Airlines’ Bottom Lines

Airlines can take advantage of the widespread interest in sports by making live sports events available for viewing in-flight. (Photo: Panasonic Avionics)

It is increasingly common for an airline to offer some kind of in-flight entertainment for its passengers, whether through seatback screens or personal devices. One way that airlines can further improve their bottom lines is by adding live sports to their in-flight entertainment (IFE) offering.

Customers have always cared about the quality of the in-flight experience. As air travel makes a comeback from the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s even more important to consider what components contribute to a positive experience for passengers.

Watching live events is a unique and valuable experience for many across the world. Especially for national and international competitions, like the World Cup, in-flight viewership can increase tenfold, according to Dominic Green, Senior Director of Product Line Management at Panasonic Avionics. “To harness that ability [to watch live events]—and to take credit for it as an airline that provides access to these unmissable moments—is extremely powerful for curators of the passenger experience,” he explained.

Green added, “Showing live sports on board brings the in-air experience closer to the expectations consumers have on the ground.” Airlines can take advantage of the widespread interest in sports by making live events available for viewing in-flight. Men account for about 60% of the market for sports viewership, but women are responsible for purchasing close to half of all NFL merchandise. In fact, nearly 80% of all sales of sports apparel are conducted with women, according to a recent NYU study cited by Panasonic.

Panasonic Avionics has partnered with IMG to offer Sport 24 and Sport 24 Extra for in-flight entertainment. Live sports are a core part of Panasonic’s offerings for passenger engagement, in addition to live news. According to the company, including live sports with IFE can have a positive impact on budgetary efficiency and tangible metrics.

“Live content is unmissable, and the must-see element can mean changing the way airlines think about appropriating content budgets,” Green shared.

He added, “More time spent engaging with other content experiences like maps or live television means less time and resources that airlines need to allocate in pursuing giant, expensive libraries of content.”

Panasonic Avionics provides high-speed in-flight connectivity for the commercial aviation industry. Their connectivity services provide coverage for 99.8% of global flight routes. Panasonic and OneWeb entered into a distribution agreement to add low earth orbit (LEO) networks to Panasonic’s satellite network. The company’s single panel antenna, or SPA, is a Ku-band antenna with a simplified design that is mounted on the fuselage. Panasonic invests in electronically-steered antennas (ESAs) for LEO and GEO constellations.

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European Innovation Council Awards €2.5M Grant to Dronamics

Dronamics was just awarded a €2.5 million grant from the European Commission’s European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator program. The funds will support continued development and rollout of Dronamics’ cargo drones. (Photo: Dronamics)

Dronamics announced last week that the European Commission’s European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator program awarded them a grant of €2.5 million. These funds will support development and rollout of Dronamics’ fleet of large cargo drones. The grant also goes towards deployment of droneports in the company’s network and towards support of general operations in Europe.

Svilen Rangelov, co-founder and CEO of Dronamics, commented that the support from the EIC serves “as testament to the impact that cargo drone logistics can have on the European Union economy at large.” The EIC has also made commitments in support of the company’s upcoming Series A round.

Rangelov remarked, “We will use this grant to establish our European operations and keep bringing innovation to help elevate communities and businesses using breakthroughs in aviation and technology that will revolutionize air cargo mobility.”

Nearly 1,000 candidates applied for funding by the EIC Accelerator program, which awarded grants to only a handful of companies.

Dronamics is headquartered in the UK. The company announced Quickstep as its first strategic manufacturing partner earlier this year. Quickstep will oversee manufacturing of the cargo drones in New South Wales, Australia. Dronamics plans to enter the Australian market in 2023.

Dronamics claims to be the first cargo drone company to receive a European drone airline license, or light UAS operator certificate (LUC), which is granted individually by European national aviation authorities.

“Built specifically for cargo, unlike other aircraft, the Black Swan can carry the same load as a small cargo van at a distance of up to 2,500 km, resulting in cost, time, and carbon emission savings.” (Photo: Dronamics)

In an interview with Avionics International earlier this year, CEO Rangelov shared that the team’s strategy is “to create a new type of vehicle that’s more efficient to produce and more efficient to operate than existing technology.”

Rangelov also participated in a recent webinar on the future of advanced air mobility, along with the CEOs of Elroy Air, Pyka, and MightyFly. All four companies are developing cargo drones for different missions and markets. The Black Swan that Dronamics is developing will be operated as a middle-mile solution for distances of at least 300 miles.

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Port of Rotterdam Chooses Airwayz for UTM System Prototype

The Port of Rotterdam Authority chose Airwayz to build a U-Space prototype for the port industrial complex. The U-Space services will be set up over the next two years and Airwayz’ UTM system will be configured in a way that is specific to the needs and requirements of the port. (Photo: Airwayz)

The Port of Rotterdam Authority has selected the software provider Airwayz as a partner to prototype an air traffic management system for unmanned aerial systems (UAS). The system will enable drones and helicopters to operate in the same airspace. Drones can be used at the Port of Rotterdam for surveillance, inspections, delivery services, and incident control.

Airwayz is based in Tel Aviv. Its unmanned traffic management (UTM) system for UAS utilizes artificial intelligence to enable the full potential of drone operations. UTM requires a high degree of automation because there is not enough time to account for human decision timelines.

“We have proven technology that can support multiple scalable drone operations in real time,” shared Airwayz CEO, Eyal Zor, in an interview with Avionics International. Zor noted that this may be the first client looking at deploying and scaling up a commercial UTM system.

Airwayz enables efficient drone operations, which means that the operators can conduct enough flights in real time to support their clients or end-users. “We have the technology to connect all the different stakeholders—dozens of drone operators—and enable them to operate simultaneously within the same airspace, without compromising the safety measures that are needed for the port to conduct such operations and manage its own airspace,” Zor explained.

The Port of Rotterdam selected Airwayz for this partnership because of the company’s automated system that can scale up to match increasing drone activity. Not only can drones offer support to the 3,000 companies that operate within the port, but Airwayz demonstrated that such operations could result in a commercial revenue stream.

According to Zor, one of the main challenges is to prove that the model is working successfully. “There are a lot of stakeholders,” he said. “With a UTM, you are responsible for connecting all of the drone operators in the port and making sure they are in compliance with the set of rules that you define with the local regulators and the port itself.”

He added that there is a need to ensure other vehicles operating in the port are connected. There are other stakeholders who want to connect to the system,” he said. “There are eight helicopter fleet operators within the port. They also need to be part of the ecosystem we are deploying.”

Over the next few years, the challenge is going to be making sure that the market is ready to adopt increased commercial drone operations. “I’m quite optimistic,” Zor said, “because when I see different industries like autonomous cars, compared to where we are today in terms of deployment, the market is showing a high level of readiness regarding commercial activity.”

“A lot of companies already do drone deliveries,” he added. “Compared to different industries, the acceptance is already there at an initial level.”

Aviation authorities and ANSPs will play an important role in increasing the market’s acceptance of UTM companies. Their approach will be “making sure the industry is advancing without compromising safety,” Zor remarked, “and ensuring that stakeholders understand their rights to adopt this technology.”

Airwayz initiated a pilot program in Israel last year. The team operated a UTM system within a defined corridor to manage drone fleets from five different UAS companies. The drones used their own UAS service systems for route planning and flying, and these systems communicated with the UTM system operated by Airwayz.

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Ampaire’s Hybrid-Electric Grand Caravan Takes Flight

Ampaire’s Eco Caravan aircraft, an upgraded Cessna Grand Caravan, made its first flight last week on a fully-integrated hybrid-electric propulsion system. (Photo: Ampaire)

Ampaire has achieved a major milestone using a modified Cessna Grand Caravan. The Los Angeles-based electric aircraft developer flew its first hybrid-electric regional aircraft on a 30-minute test flight above southern California during the early morning hours of Friday, Nov. 18. This test flight shows promising success for the developer’s integrated propulsion system.

The retrofitted Cessna Grand Caravan is one of several achievements Ampaire has reached within the past year. The company broke a record in July 2022, when its Cessna 337 Hybrid-Electric demonstrator performed a 1,135 mile journey nonstop from California to Oshkosh, the longest route ever flown by a hybrid-electric aircraft.

Despite recent success, decarbonizing the aviation industry comes with major challenges. As Ampaire CEO Kevin Noertker explained in the announcement, “Fully-electric aircraft are range limited because of the weight and energy capacity of current-generation batteries. Hybrid-electric aircraft, however, can preserve the range and utility of today’s aircraft. That is why we are focused on hybrid-electric propulsion for a series of increasingly capable regional aircraft. It’s a way for the airline industry to decarbonize more quickly and also to benefit from lower operating costs.”

The Cessna Grand Caravan used in Ampaire’s recent test flight features an integrated propulsion system that includes both a compression ignition engine and an electric engine. A battery pack supplied by EP systems was placed in a body fairing of the aircraft, which helped preserve capacity for passengers and cargo.

On Nov. 18 at 7:49 AM, Ampaire’s Eco Caravan departed from Camarillo Airport for its 33-minute test flight. At full power, the aircraft climbed to 3,500 feet using a combination of power from both its electric and combustion engines. For about 20 minutes, test pilot Elliot Seguin tested various power settings and monitored readings on his instruments. Afterward, Seguin flew the aircraft back to Camarillo Airport, touching down at around 8:22 AM.

The Eco Caravan, while still using some traditional aviation fuel, can cut emissions by up to 70% while cutting operating costs by 25% to 40%. It does this without sacrificing range capabilities. In fact, with eight passengers, the Eco Caravan can actually fly further than traditional Grand Caravans because it boasts a maximum range beyond 1,000 miles.

While this news is positive for Ampaire and the cause for sustainable air travel, the industry still lacks certain infrastructure key for the widespread use for aircraft like the Eco Caravan. While it can charge its batteries in the air, charging stations at airports across the country is one of many considerations that will need to be made prior to widespread utilization.

Ampaire seems optimistic about the future of its Eco Caravan. Because it is not an entirely new aircraft design, it does not need a full aircraft certification program—only a supplemental type certificate (STC). With this in mind, Ampaire hopes to receive certification by 2024.

Regardless, Ampaire has shown that more sustainable air travel is just around the corner. The Eco Caravan could be the first of many innovations made for the timely improvement of the aviation industry.

The post Ampaire’s Hybrid-Electric Grand Caravan Takes Flight appeared first on Avionics International.

Lilium Closes $119 Million Capital Raise

Lilium recently announced the successful closing of a capital raise totaling $119 million which came from from existing shareholders, strategic partners, and new investors. (Photo: Lilium)

Leading eVTOL developer Lilium has closed a $119 million capital raise—a concurrent private placement and registered direct offering (RDO). Participants included existing shareholders, strategic partners, and new investors. Honeywell, Aciturri, Tencent, and B. Riley Securities contributed to the capital raise along with LGT and its affiliated impact investor Lightrock, as well as Klaus Roewe, Lilium’s new CEO, and three board members.

Rowe remarked on the successful closing of the $119 million capital raise, saying, “These proceeds are expected to strengthen our balance sheet and advance our commercialization efforts including signing of customer agreements with pre-delivery payments, reaching an agreement with EASA on our Means of Compliance, and commencing assembly of the type-conforming aircraft for the final manned flight test campaign.”

The net proceeds from the offerings are expected to go towards funding Lilium’s operations and continued development of the Lilium Jet.

Honeywell Aerospace’s Stéphane Fymat, Vice President and General Manager of Urban Air Mobility, also commented on the announcement from Lilium: “Honeywell and Lilium share a common vision of the importance of electric aviation and the positive impact it will have on air transportation and decarbonization. We are proud to partner with Lilium as the provider of the avionics systems, [flight] controls, and electric motors used to guide and power Lilium’s revolutionary electric jet.”

Honeywell has worked with Lilium for about two years. They shared news of a partnership in 2021 to create avionics and flight control systems for Lilium’s electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. Honeywell will provide its compact fly-by-wire system for flight control of all moving parts on the aircraft. Honeywell’s Anthem flight deck is also being considered for integration into the electric air taxi developed by Hyundai’s Supernal.

In June 2022, the team at Honeywell announced a collaboration with DENSO Corporation to develop an electric motor for Lilium’s aircraft. The motor will provide 100 kilowatts of electric power and is expected to weigh less than 4 kilograms.

Later that month, Lilium selected Astronics Corporation to design and manufacture an electrical power distribution system for the electric air taxi. The two companies plan to collaborate for more than 12 months on the project. In July, Lilium also confirmed its selection of L3Harris as a supplier of extra light data recorders.

Lilium’s technology demonstrator, Phoenix 2, completed the full transition from hover to wing-borne flight this fall. The flight was conducted at the company’s ATLAS (Air Traffic Laboratory for Advanced Unmanned Systems) Flight Test Center in Spain.

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Space Avionics from L3Harris Propel Artemis I Launch

On Nov. 16, Artemis I successfully launched into space, thanks in part to L3Harris’ space avionics. (Photo: John Kraus)

Northrop Grumman successfully launched NASA’s Artemis I on Nov. 16 with the help of L3Harris’s space avionics. L3Harris’ avionics systems ensured that the launch and the first eight minutes of remote command for the unmanned spacecraft went smoothly.

In order to help the unmanned spacecraft hit 17,000 mph within the first eight minutes of the flight, L3Harris provided over 30 advanced space avionics systems. These were used in the core, upper stage avionics, and booster for Artemis I to enable remote control, help determine the trajectory of the flight, and provide a rocket booster jettison.

Compared to earlier space exploration flights, Artemis I had a reduced risk for material obsolescence, a lower cost per flight, and an increased payload capacity, all thanks to the booster provided by L3Harris. L3Harris avionics systems provided a low-cost, high-quality solution for Artemis I. L3Harris works with a variety of customers to help them reach their goals as efficiently as possible.

As a company, L3Harris offers a wide range of avionics systems and solutions for spacecrafts, airplanes, and other aviation applications. The company has a long history of working with branches of the US government—and upcoming projects demonstrate the continuation of this partnership.

L3Harris will be providing mission management processors for Boeing’s T-7A Red Hawk, a pilot training system designed for the U.S. Air Force. The processors developed by L3Harris are also integrated into the F-35, F/A-18, and the U.S. Navy’s new MQ-25 unmanned tanker aircraft.

With regards to NASA specifically, the company has contributed to their space exploration missions for decades. Kristin Houston, the president of Electro Optical at L3Harris, stated, “NASA relied on L3Harris’ expertise and technology from early spacecraft through the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Space Shuttle, International Space Station and Mars missions.”

On launch day, the use of L3Harris’ avionics translated into a smooth launch for Artemis I, enabling the spacecraft’s mission to analyze the moon’s surface with more attention to detail than ever before. In the short-term, the Artemis mission is designed to land the first women and person of color on the moon. NASA predicts this project will also create a long-term human-robot community on the moon and allow humans to go to Mars in the next decade.

To accomplish this mission, NASA is working with private and international partners, including companies such Northrop Grumman and L3Harris, and countries such as South Africa and Japan. Jim Free, NASA’s deputy associate administrator for the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, stated, “This successful launch means NASA and our partners are on a path to explore farther in space than ever before for the benefit of humanity.”

L3Harris has been a crucial partner for NASA’s goal of improving the technology inside their spacecrafts. The L3Harris team expects to continue helping NASA with their missions to the moon, Mars, and beyond. Their next contribution will be the hardware for Artemis II, which is scheduled to launch in 2024.

The post Space Avionics from L3Harris Propel Artemis I Launch appeared first on Avionics International.

How Increasing Levels of Automation Impact Air Traffic Controllers

Adaptable automation offers air traffic controllers the advantages of increased safety and efficiency while counteracting the unintended consequences that can follow static automation, such as skill decay and loss of perceived autonomy. (Photo: SESAR Joint Undertaking)

Automation of tasks often helps companies and workers to get more done in less time. In the aviation industry, almost everyone—from pilots to aircraft maintenance technicians—relies on some kind of automation during the workday. Air traffic controllers, for instance, have relied on automated solutions for years to ensure that they receive accurate information quickly and to communicate with pilots effectively.

However, some may not experience automation as having a positive impact on their work. They may feel as though they have less control over how to complete tasks or make decisions independently.

During a recent webinar hosted by the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation (EUROCONTROL), Dr. Michèle Rieth shared some findings from her research on the effects of adaptable automation on air traffic controllers.

Competence, autonomy, and relatedness were identified as the three most important components of work for air traffic controllers, Dr. Rieth shared. They need to feel that they are good at their job, that they have control over work-related decisions, and that they are connected to other people in their daily work. She noted that these aspects need to be preserved as levels of automation increase to ensure job satisfaction for air traffic controllers.

To identify the effects of automation on air traffic controllers, the researchers conducted interviews with air traffic controllers and experts, held workshops, and conducted an online survey. “The results showed that automation is already changing a lot,” Dr. Rieth stated. The positive effects are the support that automation provides to human operators, which reduces coordination effort needed. Automation also improves safety and efficiency.

“The use of automation can also come along with new problems for humans which can lead to serious consequences in safety critical contexts,” she explained.

“The air traffic controller’s role is becoming more passive. They increasingly have to monitor the system, so they notice a shift from active air traffic control to more passive system control.”

“Successful human-automation interaction can only be achieved if the human side is adequately considered.” (Photo: Screenshot from presentation by Dr. Michèle Rieth)

Air traffic controllers that participated in the research project commented that the meaningful elements of their work are lost as a result of increased automation. Things are balanced at the moment, and individuals reported still being satisfied with their work, but it is important to consider the downsides of increasing levels of automation in this industry.

Dr. Rieth remarked that adaptable automation allows for flexible function allocation. This paradigm dictates that the human operator can dynamically adjust how tasks are divided between the air traffic controller and the automated system.

“Most conventional automation approaches involve static allocation concepts, or fixed function allocation,” she added. “It cannot be changed afterwards once the system is designed and implemented.”

Adaptable automation offers the advantages of increased safety and efficiency while counteracting the unintended consequences that can follow static automation, such as skill decay and loss of perceived autonomy.

“When automation crosses a critical boundary from information automation to decision automation, loss of perceived autonomy and competence is more likely,” Dr. Rieth said.

The researchers’ findings indicated that adaptable automation could contribute to a more human-centered design without negatively impacting performance or workload for air traffic controllers.

The SESAR 2020 Scientific Committee Automation Taskforce drafted an extensive report on the topic of automation in air traffic management, or ATM. “Although it is generally agreed that the future of the ATM system will evolve towards higher levels of automation, a shared vision is needed in order to develop a research roadmap with a breakdown of specific research actions,” the report stated.

The committee concluded, “The vision of the future ATM system remains resolutely human-centric but at the same time, the technical system gains a certain level of autonomy. Both the operator and the system work in close cooperation maintaining a multimodal conversation and making use of the most recent advances in AI/machine learning.”

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NBAA Urges FAA and DoT Action for Safe 5G Implementation

“Our industry is strongly supportive of the deployment and implementation of 5G services nationwide, but we will not compromise aviation safety.” (Photo: NBAA)

Technological development is often seen as the key to an improved future. However, not all new or updated technology comes without logistical challenges when integrating it into pre-existing infrastructure. 5G, the latest in cellular technology, is an advancement that allows for a significant increase in the speed and responsiveness of cellular networks. As 5G is deployed across the nation, it has begun to impact the safety of aviation across the United States.

It appears 5G might be interfering with avionics in aircraft, raising questions regarding the new technology’s ability to safely coexist within aviation. In fact, since January 2022 alone, there have been over 100 reported incidents that could potentially involve 5G interference. The concerns stem from the C-Band of the radio spectrum that carriers Verizon and AT&T purchased for 5G: it sits dangerously close to the band of spectrum radar altimeters on aircraft use for navigation on take-offs and landings.

Given that a majority of the 100 incidents that occurred this year were cockpit safety alerts resulting from radar altimeter impacts associated with 5G, it seems the issue of air travel and 5G coexisting safely is becoming more pressing as the cell network becomes more widespread. Despite this, beyond requiring any operators of regional aircraft to install radio frequency filters on aircraft types most susceptible to interference, it seems the FAA has taken few further steps to mitigate the risk of this new technology on the aviation industry.

Now, a group of aviation stakeholders, including the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), is pushing the FAA, Department of Transportation, and Department of Commerce to address this growing issue proactively. The goal is to introduce a solution that allows 5G to grow while preventing flight delays and cancellations from becoming prevalent as a result of changing regulations. With only seven months before the next aircraft retrofit deadline, it’s clear these government agencies must take action quickly to prevent complications associated with retrofitting aircraft to meet new regulations.

The coalition of stakeholders, including Thales, Garmin, Embraer, Boeing, Airbus, Collins Aerospace, and many others, published a letter of concerns and requests last week, including the following message:

“We will continue to be committed to finding reasonable solutions that allow implementation of 5G while addressing safety and operational disruptions in the NAS. Stakeholders cannot do this alone and we need the federal government to codify mitigations for all airports and extend the July 2023 and ‘Power Up’ retrofit deadlines. The entire government must work together to ensure future 5G deployment is unencumbered and our aviation system remains the safest in the world. Aviation stakeholders call on the Administration to meet with us to discuss a way forward that will achieve the goal of moving 5G forward, while ensuring passengers and cargo reach their destinations safely and on time.”

Despite the controversy, it seems business aviation is not feeling the impact of 5G to the extent that the commercial sector of the industry is. While the NBAA claims this is because business aircraft do not typically utilize CAT 1 approaches (these rely on radio altimeters, which are vulnerable to interference from 5G), there could be other reasons as to why this segment remains less affected.

For example, aircraft like the Boeing 757, 767, and even certain 737 models have radio altimeters that are deeply integrated with other systems, such as auto throttle, ground proximity warning, and thrust reversers. If the FAA requires changes to radio altimeters, it might be more difficult to make these revisions. While changing requirements could impact various aircraft types differently, this factor could cushion the impacts of 5G for the business aviation segment.

The coalition of stakeholders urging these government agencies to create a solution clearly recognizes the importance of acting proactively in such a dynamic industry. If the FAA, Department of Transportation, and Department of Commerce cannot identify and implement a solution for the 5G challenge before the deadline, the aviation industry could be facing more delays, cancellations, and frustrations.

The post NBAA Urges FAA and DoT Action for Safe 5G Implementation appeared first on Avionics International.

Appropriations Bills Provide $194 Million for F-15 Upgrades

An F-15E Strike Eagle assigned to the 492nd Fighter Squadron flies over Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England. (U.S. Air Force photo / Tech. Sgt. Matthew Plew)

House and Senate appropriators in their committee-approved versions of the fiscal 2023 defense appropriations bill provide more than $194 million for upgrades to Boeing [BA] F-15 aircraft.

Lawmakers have yet to take up and pass the bills in their respective bodies after which House-Senate conferees are to negotiate on a final bill. The federal government is operating under a continuing resolution (CR) through Dec. 16. Congress passed the CR in September (Defense Daily, Sept. 30).

The F-15 upgrades include nearly $37 million for the Honeywell [HON] Advanced Display Core Processor II (ADCP II), integrated by Boeing on the F-15E and F-15EX, and more than $28 million for the Multifunctional Information Distribution System-Joint Tactical Radio System (MIDS-JTRS), a new Link 16 system to comply with the National Security Agency (NSA) cryptographic modernization mandate that military aircraft were to meet by Jan. 1 this year and a Federal Aviation Administration frequency remapping deadline of 2025.

Data Link Solutions (DLS)–a Collins Aerospace [RTX]/BAE Systems joint venture–and Viasat Inc. [VSAT] have built the software-defined MIDS-JTRS, which is to replace older radios with the NSA certified encryption and which is to feature a modular design to replace older MIDS-Low Volume Terminals (MIDS-LVTs).

As of Jan. 1 this year, eight F-15Cs and 52 F-15Es met the NSA mandate, and by March 16 another two F-15Cs and 10 F-15Es had received MIDS-JTRS, the U.S. Air Force has said.

In April, Rep. James Langevin (D-R.I.) told Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall that he was alarmed by the delay in the Air Force’s Link 16 crypto modernization effort, and Kendall said that the Air Force had recently begun devoting funding to the new radios after two decades of not upgrading radios because the U.S. had not postured its defense budget to take on high tech adversaries, like China (Defense Daily, Apr. 27).

In fiscal 2022, the Air Force requested more than $234 million for F-15 upgrades, but congressional appropriators provided about $179 million–a $55 million cut. Lawmakers said that $28 million of the decrease was due to ADCP II contract delays, $15 million to the F-15E digital color displays being “ahead of need,” $10 million to an ADCP depot hazardous air pollutants analysis being “ahead of need,” and about $1.9 million to F-15E MIDS-JTRS installs “excess to need.”

The Air Force approved ADCP II for full-rate production in the second quarter of fiscal 2021 and awarded Boeing a full-rate production contract of more than $59 million on Apr. 1 this year. Boeing referred questions on the one-year ADCP II contract delay to the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC) at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. Defense Daily will add any response received from AFLCMC.

The Air Force has said that the common mission computers for the F-15C and F-15E have hit their limits in speed, memory, throughput, and security. ADCP II, which is the F-15EX’s mission computer, is able to process 87 billion instructions per second of computing throughput, Boeing has said.

ADCP II had its first test flight on an F-15E from Eglin AFB, Fla. in July 2016.

The Air Force said that ADCP II is also to support the Boeing/BAE Systems’ Eagle Passive/Active Warning and Survivability System (EPAWSS) for the F-15 and to provide the F-15E’s Raytheon Technologies‘ [RTX] APG-82 radar with increased target tracks and track data and mode simultaneity. The F-15’s Tactical Electronic Warfare System (TEWS) is “functionally obsolete,” as it “uses 1970’s analog technology to combat 1980s-era radar-based ground and air threats,” while the digital EPAWSS electronic warfare system is “capable of detecting, identifying, locating, denying, degrading, disrupting, and defeating modern and emerging threat systems in contested airspace with dense radio-frequency (RF) background environments,” the Air Force has said.

Boeing has said that the Air Force plans to equip 43 of the service’s F-15Es with EPAWSS. That number would seem to indicate a ratcheting back of Air Force plans for F-15E EPAWSS upgrades, as the Air Force had projected last year that it would outfit all 217 service F-15Es with EPAWSS. The Strike Eagles have an average age of more than 29 years.

Some lawmakers have criticized the Air Force’s plan to divest its F-15C and D fleets by 2026 and to trim the service’s F-15EX buy from 144 to 80 (Defense Daily, Apr. 27).

In fiscal 2020, the Air Force said that many F-15Cs and Ds “are beyond their service life and have SERIOUS structures risks, wire chafing issues, and obsolete parts” and that “readiness goals [for the aircraft] are unachievable due to continuous structural inspections, time consuming repairs, and on-going modernization efforts.”

“The average F-15C/D is 35 years old with over 8,300 flight hours; the oldest F-15C was delivered in 1979,” the Air Force said then.

The fiscal 2022 National Defense Authorization Act allowed the Air Force to retire 48 F-15C/Ds and 47 Lockheed Martin [LMT] F-16C/Ds. The approved F-15C/D and F-16C/D retirements in fiscal 2022 were to bring the fighter inventory down from 2,094 to 1,999–just above the level required for an Air Force justification of planned fighter reductions.

The fiscal 2023 Air Force budget did not contain any proposed F-15C/D or F-16C/D divestments, but the service asked Congress to allow the service to retire 150 other aircraft.

This article was first published by Defense Daily, a sister publication to Avionics International; it has been edited. View the original version here >>

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