June 2025 - Aviation, Inflight and Aero Connectivity Consultants

New Avionics Tech Is Powering the Rise of Advanced Air Mobility

Global Avionics Round-Up from Aircraft Value News (AVN)

(Photo: Eve Air Mobility)

Once a speculative concept reserved for futurists, Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) is now rapidly emerging as a practical reality, thanks largely to revolutionary developments in avionics.

From electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft to highly automated flight control systems, avionics is the nerve center of this next-generation ecosystem, orchestrating the delicate balance of safety, autonomy, and sustainability.

AAM seeks to redefine how people and goods move across urban and regional landscapes. Instead of being confined to traditional runways or existing air corridors, new aircraft designs such as eVTOLs are built to operate flexibly within dense environments.

These vehicles are only as good as the technology that guides them, and that’s where avionics takes center stage. The success of AAM depends on avionics systems that are more advanced, compact, and digitally integrated than anything seen in conventional aircraft.

One of the most dramatic shifts is the move toward Fly-by-Wire systems tailored for short-range electric aircraft. Traditional control yokes and mechanical linkages are giving way to touchscreen interfaces, gesture-based inputs, and artificial intelligence-assisted decision-making.

Pilots are optional…

In AAM cockpits, pilots, when they are even present, are less burdened with manual control and more engaged with supervisory roles over highly automated systems. These avionics packages integrate real-time weather data, obstacle detection, airspace traffic coordination, and power management into seamless displays that can be interpreted at a glance.

Equally transformative is the integration of vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) and vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication protocols. These avionics features are vital in urban skies, where dozens of aircraft could be flying in close proximity.

The avionics systems must constantly update positioning, speed, trajectory, and potential hazards, relaying data to both centralized traffic management systems and neighboring aircraft. This real-time coordination mimics the air traffic control of today, but at a level of speed and granularity that only digital automation can handle.

The FAA and other regulatory bodies are now faced with the challenge of certifying these new systems for widespread use. That means avionics must meet stringent reliability standards while proving they can operate safely in a complex, mixed-use airspace.

To support this goal, developers are leaning on virtual testing environments powered by AI, machine learning, and digital twins. These simulation platforms allow avionics engineers to stress-test their systems against thousands of variables before the aircraft ever takes flight.

Power management and battery monitoring are also becoming core avionics functions in the AAM world. Unlike jet engines that run on kerosene, eVTOLs rely on high-density batteries that require constant oversight to optimize performance and avoid overheating.

Smart avionics must calculate optimal energy usage for the flight route, weather conditions, payload, and emergency contingencies, often making real-time adjustments mid-flight. This kind of intelligent systems management would be impossible without cutting-edge avionics architecture.

Even the role of pilots is being reimagined. In many future AAM scenarios, pilots may not be needed at all. Avionics development is pushing toward full autonomy, where flights are managed by artificial intelligence systems capable of navigating from takeoff to landing without human input.

Early tests have shown promise, but full autonomy requires an unprecedented level of avionics precision, redundancy, and situational awareness. Companies like Honeywell, Garmin, and Thales are now racing to develop avionics suites that meet these ambitious targets.

The implications stretch far beyond mere convenience. By enabling short-range, electric, and eventually autonomous flights, advanced avionics can help alleviate urban congestion, reduce carbon emissions, and expand access to transportation in underserved communities.

A commuter in Los Angeles, for instance, could one day bypass clogged freeways with a ten-minute AAM flight across town, all guided by a sleek avionics system barely larger than a shoebox but exponentially more powerful than today’s commercial jet cockpits.

Advanced Air Mobility is no longer the stuff of science fiction. It is a fast-approaching aviation reality that hinges on how well avionics can adapt to a new paradigm of flight.

From smart energy use and digital ATC coordination to autonomy and human-machine interaction, the future of urban air travel is being written not just in carbon fiber and batteries, but in the code and circuits of a radically reimagined avionics core.

This article originally appeared in our partner publication, Aircraft Value News.

John Persinos is the editor-in-chief of Aircraft Value News.

The post New Avionics Tech Is Powering the Rise of Advanced Air Mobility appeared first on Avionics International.

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Avionics to the Rescue: Tech Innovations Target the ATC Crisis and Airport Bottlenecks

Global Avionics Round-Up from Aircraft Value News (AVN)

Phoenix Sky Harbor’s Air Traffic Control Tower and TRACON (Photo: Jacobs)

As global air travel rebounds with a vengeance, the aviation industry is once again grappling with a painful bottleneck: overcrowded airports and a dangerously understaffed air traffic control system. Delays, diversions, and miscommunication are on the rise.

However, the avionics sector, long the invisible hand of flight safety and navigation, is emerging with next-gen solutions that promise to ease the strain from the inside out.

At the heart of this technological revolution is the move toward more autonomous flight management. Aircraft are increasingly being equipped with avionics systems capable of advanced trajectory prediction and real-time data sharing with both pilots and ground systems.

This evolution reduces reliance on overburdened human controllers and enables aircraft to make more precise in-flight decisions. The introduction of Flight Management System upgrades with artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted route optimization allows pilots to reroute mid-flight to avoid congestion, saving both time and fuel.

One of the more promising tools gaining traction is System Wide Information Management, or SWIM. This data-sharing framework gives pilots, controllers, and airport operations access to the same stream of real-time information. The result is better coordination, fewer delays, and far more efficient ground handling, even at packed airports.

Combined with enhanced Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast (ADS-B) capabilities, aircraft are becoming smarter nodes in a constantly updating airspace network.

Remote Tower technology, initially rolled out in Europe and now being explored more seriously in the U.S., adds another layer of resilience. With high-resolution cameras, radar integration, and data fusion capabilities, these virtual control centers can monitor and manage traffic at multiple regional airports from a centralized facility.

Scalable solutions…

For regions that can’t quickly recruit and train new controllers, these solutions offer a scalable alternative that leverages avionics innovation.

Equally important is the digital transformation of airspace management. NASA and the FAA, in partnership with avionics OEMs, are developing Uncrewed Traffic Management (UTM) tools that are now being adapted for conventional aircraft. The eventual goal is to create a harmonized digital sky where both manned and unmanned aircraft can navigate fluidly under automated systems, thereby reducing human error and communication lags.

While these technologies are still maturing, they’re gaining real-world traction faster than many expected. Airlines and airport authorities are facing hard economic and logistical realities, forcing them to turn to avionics firms for answers.

From predictive analytics that help airports better manage gate assignments and turnaround times to cockpit-based spacing tools that let aircraft fly more efficiently during approach and landing, avionics is no longer just a support system; it’s also a strategic weapon against operational gridlock.

As delays grow more intolerable and controller shortages more dire, the momentum behind these avionics innovations is only accelerating. The skies of the future will not just be crowded—they’ll be smarter, and much of the credit will go to the glass cockpit and the silicon behind it.

This article originally appeared in our partner publication, Aircraft Value News.

John Persinos is the editor-in-chief of Aircraft Value News.

The post Avionics to the Rescue: Tech Innovations Target the ATC Crisis and Airport Bottlenecks appeared first on Avionics International.

Avionics at the Core of Aviation’s Electric Future

Global Avionics Round-Up from Aircraft Value News (AVN)

The SSDTU, pictured here in the center, is connected to all other line replaceable unit elements of the Universal Avionics flight deck system. (Universal Avionics)

The push for quieter, cleaner skies is not just about engines anymore; it’s also about the brains of the aircraft. As pressure mounts from regulators and society for net-zero aviation, and as airlines chase the dual incentives of environmental credibility and cost efficiency, electrification is surging into focus.

Some analysts argue that the rise of electric aircraft is a disruptive force poised to upend traditional aviation economics, with the potential to roil aircraft values and lease rates as new, cleaner technologies displace older, fuel-dependent models. They see electrification as the dawn of a new era that could rapidly reshape fleet planning, regional routes, and investor expectations.

Others caution that electric aircraft are overhyped in the short term, pointing to lagging battery technology, limited range, and regulatory hurdles that suggest a meaningful impact is still many years away. But even skeptics concede that the long-term trajectory is clear: electric aviation is coming, and when it arrives in full force, it will be a game changer.

Behind every electric propulsion advance is a revolution in avionics—smart systems that manage power, monitor battery health, and orchestrate seamless hybrid transitions. In this new era, avionics isn’t just supporting innovation; it is the innovation.

At the heart of this shift lies the challenge of propulsion noise and emissions. While electric motors offer the tantalizing promise of near-zero local emissions and minimal noise, their true potential is unlocked only through avionics that can precisely control energy flow, thermal conditions, and redundancy protocols.

The power densities now emerging, approaching 400 watt-hours per kilogram, may eventually allow viable regional flights, but managing that power effectively in the air demands cutting-edge onboard electronics.

Early electric trainer aircraft are already proving that avionics can deliver safe, repeatable operations with integrated battery packs. These aircraft depend not just on propulsion technology, but on avionics suites that handle power allocation, fault detection, and flight condition adaptation in real time.

Similarly, urban air mobility platforms—those multi-rotor eVTOLs being paraded at global airshows—rely on highly automated flight control systems, battery management units, and sensor fusion technologies that make safe vertical lift possible over densely populated areas.

Hybrid propulsion systems are advancing the cause further, and here too avionics plays the starring role. Consider turboprops configured for electric takeoff and climb, with combustion engines taking over at cruise.

The need for hybrid architectures…

The transition between these modes must be seamless, safe, and efficient, something only possible with sophisticated hybrid control architectures that govern power draw, monitor environmental variables, and balance energy sources based on mission profile.

Even legacy aircraft are being drawn into the electrification movement. Retrofit programs are beginning to swap conventional components with electric subsystems that promise reduced greenhouse gas emissions, improved efficiency, and lower maintenance demands due to fewer moving parts. But the real transformation isn’t mechanical; it’s digital.

Pilots and engineers from American Airlines and L3Harris in 2019 completed flight tests evaluating the use of SafeRoute+ ADS-B In retrofit technology. Photo: L3Harris

These retrofits require new avionics interfaces, intelligent power distribution units, and systems integration that allows pilots and flight control systems to manage novel failure modes.

This “more-electric” aircraft architecture isn’t entirely new. The Boeing 787 was an early trailblazer, replacing hydraulic and pneumatic systems with electrically driven ones, such as the environmental control systems. But the evolution since then has been dramatic. Avionics developers are now exploring full aircraft microgrids. i.e. smart power distribution networks that route electricity based on in-flight needs, mission type, and even predictive battery diagnostics.

Modern aircraft avionics are also evolving to accommodate new realities in power electronics. Rapid switching, real-time load balancing, and intelligent thermal management are now table stakes. Developers are investing heavily in wide-bandgap semiconductors (like silicon carbide and gallium nitride) that enable these capabilities, creating avionics systems that are lighter, faster, and far more efficient than their predecessors.

But the challenges remain significant. The dream of electric aviation still wrestles with battery chemistry tradeoffs: the more energy-dense a cell, the more difficult it becomes to ensure thermal stability, long lifespan, and safety. That places enormous pressure on avionics to serve as both watchdog and traffic cop, preventing thermal runaway, managing redundant failovers, and enabling pilots to diagnose and respond to electrical anomalies mid-flight.Certification is another hurdle where avionics will play a central role. Electric aircraft don’t conform to legacy categories, and their failure modes, such as electrical arcs, battery faults, and inverter breakdowns, require new standards.

Regulators are slowly adapting, and some jurisdictions are exploring regulatory “sandboxes” to allow real-world flight testing under controlled conditions. These testbeds are critically reliant on avionics that record, log, and analyze thousands of data points per second for later review and standards development.

Charging infrastructure, too, is being shaped by avionics needs. Aircraft will need to communicate with ground systems to validate charge levels, manage battery swaps, and verify power flow integrity before takeoff. This level of interconnectivity calls for new protocols, secure data links, and integration with airport systems, another domain where avionics holds the key.

Despite the hurdles, the momentum is unstoppable. Every major aircraft OEM is exploring electric or hybrid designs, and new avionics systems are emerging to support these configurations. eVTOL firms are rolling out integrated flight management and energy systems purpose-built for short-haul vertical lift, while regional aircraft prototypes feature cockpit displays and control logic optimized for electric performance metrics, not just traditional fuel burn.

Governments are helping fund this avionics-heavy innovation through grants, carbon-offset-linked incentives, and pilot programs. Airlines, too, are investing, by joining sustainability consortia and embedding electric flight goals into their “green” targets. Many of these efforts hinge not just on propulsion breakthroughs, but on avionics platforms that ensure these systems function reliably in real-world conditions.

In the near term, expect hybrid aircraft to lead the way, reducing fuel burn and emissions on short-haul routes. Within a decade, cityscapes may host quiet electric air taxis guided by autonomous avionics systems capable of adaptive navigation and instant energy reallocation. Eventually, long-haul flights may follow, but only if avionics technology continues to mature in step with propulsion and materials science.

The aviation revolution won’t be signaled by a new kind of wing or engine alone. It will be defined by what pilots see on their screens, how flight computers make decisions, and how energy flows across a smart airframe. The quiet hum of an electric aircraft in the sky may indeed be the most profound sound in aviation’s future, and behind that sound will be an orchestra of avionics doing the heavy lifting.

This article originally appeared in our partner publication, Aircraft Value News.

John Persinos is the editor-in-chief of Aircraft Value News.

The post Avionics at the Core of Aviation’s Electric Future appeared first on Avionics International.

Anduril Offers Autonomous Air Vehicles, Rocket Motors To Europe In Partnership With Rheinmetall

Pictured is what Anduril calls a full-scale representation of its Fury offering for the first increment of CCA.

Anduril Industries is offering its Barracuda and Fury air vehicles to Europe through a partnership with Germany’s Rheinmetall, which will provide its digital platform that will integrate the autonomous air systems, the companies said on June 18.

The strategic partnership also includes Anduril’s solid rocket motor capabilities for potential use in Europe.

The two companies are already partnering to provide their respective counter-drone capabilities for solutions offerings, and on the U.S. Army’s Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle program.

The latest collaboration includes a European variant of Anduril’s Fury multi-mission Group 5 autonomous air vehicle (AAV) the California-based company is developing for the U.S. Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft program to operate with advanced manned aircraft.

The other AAV in the partnership is Anduril’s turbojet-powered Barracuda low-cost, expendable, multi-mission AAVs that comes in four different size and payload packages, including a munitions variant. Barracuda is designed for mass production.

The companies said the systems will be jointly developed and produced, and will include local suppliers and partners throughout Europe.

“This is a different model of defense collaboration, one built on share production, operational relevance, and mutual respect for sovereignty,” Brian Schimpf, Anduril’s CEO, said in a statement. “Together with Rheinmetall, we’re building systems that can be produced quickly, deployed widely, and adapted as NATO missions evolve.”

Rheinmetall this year premiered its Battlesuite digital platform that it bills as a central hub for “interconnecting all actors and systems.” Battlesuite is based on an operating system called Tactical Core developed by Germany’s blackned GmbH that Rheinmetall expands with applications to integrate its products and those of its strategic partners.

A version of this story originally appeared in affiliate publication Defense Daily.

The post Anduril Offers Autonomous Air Vehicles, Rocket Motors To Europe In Partnership With Rheinmetall appeared first on Avionics International.

B-52H Upgrades Face Supply Challenges

Pictured is a cockpit of a B-52H with the 93rd Bomb Squadron at Barksdale AFB, La. before take-off on June 17. The pilot’s and co-pilot’s Combat Network Communications Technology (CONECT) displays are at the sides of the photo.

BARKSDALE AFB, La.–Announced by Boeing in 2009 and first fielded in 2014, the company’s Combat Network Communications Technology (CONECT) upgrade for the B-52H has been to replace old displays and communications on the early 1960s bomber with such features as a moving map display in the cockpit and new displays at all crew stations, Link 16, and machine-to-machine beyond-line-of-sight tasking/re-targeting.

Yet, the effort is incomplete. B-52Hs with the 20th Bomb Squadron here, for example, are to be the first to receive Link 16 in a fleet wide effort over the next several years.

On a June 17 B-52H training flight, the two cockpit CONECT screens were working, but those at the other crew stations were not.

“Some of those [CONECT screens] have, over time, failed,” said Lt. Col. James Bresnahan, the commander of the 11th Bomb Squadron here. “We could pull those off of other aircraft, but now that aircraft has one or zero.”

CONECT allows bomber crews to plug in radios and mission equipment to display it in a moving map format that integrates off-board sensor and mission data.

In the last decade, B-52Hs have gotten the Joint Range Extension Applications Protocol (JREAP) to allow satellite data transfer over long distances and the Intelligence Broadcast Receiver (IBR) to permit the bomber crews to get radio-accepted global intelligence updates.

“Without that [JREAP and IBR], the B-52 had some roll-on systems we would carry on and plug in to get satellite updates but didn’t have a built-in design with the aircraft system to receive those updates,” Bresnahan said. “We went through a couple of iterations of that, of we gotta carry a suitcase on with a laptop, put a pseudo-antenna out the top of the airplane to get updates, and that was never integrated into [the bomber], fully supported, sustained, and developed whereas the JREAP, IBR and their CONECT framework has been fully supported and developed over time with limitations.”

Boeing has been the sole-source integrator for a wide array of B-52H modernization efforts, including internal weapons bay and communications network/electronics upgrades and a new active electronically scanned array radar based on RTX‘s APG-79.

The Air Force has said that the weapons bay upgrades would provide a 67 percent increase in smart weapons capacity.

The linchpin B-52H modernization thrust has been the Commercial Engine Replacement Program (CERP) to replace the plane’s eight Pratt & Whitney TF33-PW-103 engines, with more powerful Rolls-Royce F130s.

“Because of the long acquisition and fielding process, we’re lagging behind in the design stage all the way up to implementation,” Bresnahan said. “That’s definitely one of the challenges in fielding any of our new modernization [programs], CONECT being an example. When we’re looking at other big programs, those are being designed, planned and programmed now, but it’s gonna be five to 10 years before we implement so, just by nature of how that process works, we’ll be lagging a little bit behind and not have 2025 software and systems completely lining up with what is fielding today.”

Begun by the Air Force in 2013, B-52H Bomber Software Blocks (BSBs) are an effort to stay ahead of the curve and align software/hardware for such major programs as RMP and CERP. The current effort is BSB 7.2, and BSB 8 is to begin in the next two years.

The B-52H crew is to reduce from five to four, as the specialized electronic warfare officer (EWO)’s duties transfer to the other crew, including the weapons system officers below the cockpit.

“About 75 percent” of the EWO’s systems are “obsolete so we have started decommissioning a lot of the old systems,” Bresnahan said. “Only a few of the more modern systems remain that are directly connected to the defensive mission. There are some Air Force efforts to update and modernize those pieces of equipment, but those systems alone are not what we need for the complete defensive mindset and picture. At the [EWO] station and the other crew stations, we have CONECT interfaces so [the EWO] can take advantage of the other data fusion information we can receive to build the defensive picture.”

Another issue for B-52H crews has been the functioning of the mission data tape readers.

“We have two readers of the tape mission data,” Bresnahan said. “On most of the aircraft just one is functioning…One of them can get the job done, but, if both of those systems fail on the ground, we’ve gotta call out maintenance and get a replacement, and they may have to pull it off of another aircraft and put it onto ours to make it flyable. In flight, we can have a mission loaded with some capability, but certain failures may prohibit us from loading our mission data into weapons and fully getting the mission done.”

A version of this story originally appeared in affiliate publication Defense Daily.

The post B-52H Upgrades Face Supply Challenges appeared first on Avionics International.

Honeywell To Provide Auxiliary Power Unit, Cooling Solution For Army’s FLRAA

The V-280 Valor. (Bell)

Honeywell said June 16 that Bell has selected the company to provide the auxiliary power unit (APU) and cooling solution for the Army’s Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA).

As a subcontractor on the FLRAA program, Honeywell said it will supply its 36-150 auxiliary power unit (APU) and Honeywell Attune cooling capability for the future tiltrotor aircraft.

“FLRAA will deliver new long-range high speed transport capabilities to the U.S. Army helping to ensure force readiness against emerging threats,” Rich DeGraff, Honeywell Aerospace Technologies’ president of control systems, said in a statement. “We are confident that our proven 36-150 APU and Honeywell Attune system will exceed the expectations of the Army throughout the FLRAA contract and subsequent active-duty service that will last beyond 2050. Honeywell looks forward to continuing to serve the Army on their future vertical lift fleet.”

Bell’s V-280 Valor tiltrotor aircraft was named the winner of the FLRAA competition in December 2022, beating out a Sikorsky and Boeing team’s Defiant X coaxial rigid rotor helicopter offering for the program to find a platform that will eventually replace a sizeable portion of the Black Hawk fleet.

The initial FLRAA deal to Bell is worth up to $1.3 billion but could total $7 billion if all options are picked up.

The Army has recently detailed plans to move up the initial fielding of FLRAA by two years to 2028, with Bell telling Defense Daily it’s “confident” it can meet the accelerated timeline.

Honeywell said the 36-150 APU for FLRAA will provide a secondary source of electrical and hydraulic power for the platform that “enhances mission readiness and flexibility of aircraft operations,” noting that versions of the capability are currently in use on the Army’s fleet of UH-60 Black Hawk and AH-64 Apache helicopters.

For the FLRAA cooling solution, Honeywell described its Attune high-density cooling technology as “a lightweight, low-maintenance and energy-efficient thermal management system” that is “up to 35 percent lighter and 20 percent more efficient than conventional systems with comparable cooling capacity.”

“Capitalizing on decades of experience producing industry-leading air cycle systems, Honeywell has developed Honeywell Attune with weight, size, and power advantages over traditional systems,” Honeywell said. “Honeywell Attune provides Bell with a lower-risk technical solution as it has been successfully introduced into commercial aircraft for both cabin and aircraft systems cooling.” In late March, GE Aerospace announced it had been awarded a subcontract to deliver the avionics system for FLRAA, which followed Bell’s prior decision to select GE as the “digital backbone” provider for the platform.

A version of this story originally appeared in affiliate publication Defense Daily.

The post Honeywell To Provide Auxiliary Power Unit, Cooling Solution For Army’s FLRAA appeared first on Avionics International.

USAF Says Wind Tunnel Testing Validated F130 Engine Inlet Redesign, As B-52 CERP Looks to Enter Development This Summer

Pictured is a B-52H Stratofortress assigned to the 23rd Expeditionary Bomb Squadron taking off in support of Bomber Task Force Europe at Morón Air Base, Spain on May 27 (U.S. Air Force Photo)

The U.S. Air Force said that wind tunnel testing that finished in early June validated inlet redesign of the Rolls-Royce F130 engine for the U.S. Air Force’s Commercial Engine Replacement Program (CERP) for the Boeing B-52H bomber, as the program looks to enter development this summer.

In December 2023, the Air Force approved the transition of CERP from Middle Tier of Acquisition (MTA) rapid prototyping to Major Capability Acquisition (MCA).

“In December 2023, the program received Air Force approval to transition to the MCA pathway before development start, but development start has been delayed by nearly a year—to June 2025,” according to the Government Accountability Office’s annual weapons systems assessment released this week.

“According to the program, delays stem from ongoing engine inlet issues the program found during design testing and from Boeing’s lag in submitting proposals needed for maturing the program’s cost and schedule baselines,” the assessment said. “Officials stated that Boeing submitted qualified proposals in summer 2024 that the program is currently reviewing. As part of ongoing design work, officials identified a critical issue regarding engine inlet distortion—a non-uniform flow of air that can affect the engine’s performance and operability—resulting in a redesign of the engine inlet. While the program used a digital model during the rapid prototyping effort that simulated how prospective contractors’ engines would fit in the aircraft, officials said performance data from testing showed that the design did not meet requirements. Officials stated that Boeing will complete wind tunnel testing to fully verify the design in summer 2025. Officials stated that these data are essential to completing the critical design review [CDR], planned for April 2026, three years later than originally planned.”

The program said that it used digital modeling and digital engineering to complete the engine inlet redesign in December last year and that the inlet “now meets performance and operability requirements.”

The Rolls-Royce F130s are to replace the B-52H’s Pratt & Whitney [RTX] TF33-PW-103 engines, which the Air Force has said it wants to retire by 2030, yet the F130 is not to achieve initial capability and a full-rate production decision until January 2033.

In September 2021, the Air Force awarded Rolls-Royce a CERP contract worth up to $2.6 billion through fiscal 2038 to outfit the B-52 with the F130, based on Rolls-Royce’s commercial BR725 carried on Gulfstream [GD] G650 business jets.

CERP and the Radar Modernization Program are the Air Force’s key modernization efforts for the B-52H. The modernized bombers will carry the B-52J designation.

“We are proud of the strong progress we have made towards delivering the B-52J for the U.S. Air Force on time and on budget,” Scott Ames, Rolls-Royce’s program director for B-52 CERP, said in a company statement on June 12. “This spring, we moved into engine altitude testing at Arnold Engineering Development Complex in Tullahoma, Tennessee and continue to use cutting edge, digital engineering to inform our testing program and allow us to stay on track to deliver for the Air Force.”

‘Working closely with our partners at Boeing, we have met major program milestones including successfully holding the engine CDR, completing Rapid Twin Pod testing to support the B-52’s unique nacelle configuration, and finishing the first phase of sea-level testing in Indianapolis,” according to Ames.

A version of this story originally appeared in affiliate publication Defense Daily.

The post USAF Says Wind Tunnel Testing Validated F130 Engine Inlet Redesign, As B-52 CERP Looks to Enter Development This Summer appeared first on Avionics International.

Legacy Avionics: Dilemmas Posed by the Aging ARINC 429 Bus

Global Avionics Round-Up from Aircraft Value News (AVN)

The intelligent high density GE RAR-USB ARINC 429 USB Adapter

In the world of avionics, where cutting-edge technology powers navigation, communication, and flight control systems, it might come as a surprise that one of the most widely used cockpit technologies, the ARINC 429 data bus, traces its origins to the 1970s and is increasingly anachronistic.

The ARINC 429 was designed about 50 years ago as a reliable means to transfer data between avionics systems in commercial aircraft. Despite its venerable age, this protocol remains the backbone for data communication in many airliners, business jets, and even military aircraft.

The stubborn persistence of ARINC 429 poses critical challenges to the aviation industry, affecting safety, efficiency, and modernization efforts.

Even after five decades, the ARINC 429 data bus protocol is considered as an important data bus standard given it is used in the avionics systems of the B737, B747, B767, A320, A340, and MD-11 aircraft.

Understanding why this technology remains entrenched, the problems it causes, and how the industry is addressing the issue sheds light on a deeper tension between innovation and legacy in avionics.

ARINC 429’s fundamental design is simplicity itself. It is a unidirectional, point-to-point serial data bus where one transmitter communicates with multiple receivers via a single twisted pair of wires. Its modest data rate, fixed at either 12.5 or 100 kilobits per second, reflects the technological constraints and performance needs of the era in which it was created.

This slow speed sufficed for transmitting relatively low-bandwidth data such as flight instrument readings, autopilot commands, and sensor outputs. The standardized 32-bit word format ensured compatibility across avionics manufacturers and facilitated straightforward troubleshooting.

Strengths Become Liabilities

However, the very strengths that made ARINC 429 revolutionary in the 1970s are its greatest liabilities today. The protocol’s inherent limitations stem from its low bandwidth, lack of full duplex communication, and point-to-point wiring architecture.

Modern avionics systems are exponentially more complex and data hungry, demanding real-time high-speed data exchange among multiple subsystems. ARINC 429’s fixed, slow speed and unidirectional flow mean that avionics suites must rely on multiple parallel wires and redundant channels, creating enormous wiring harnesses that add weight, complexity, and maintenance headaches. The physical bulk of these cable runs also constrains aircraft design, reducing available space and increasing manufacturing costs.

Moreover, ARINC 429’s architecture limits the ability to implement advanced fault-tolerant communication methods and error detection. With no support for multi-node communication or dynamic network reconfiguration, diagnosing faults and re-routing data paths is difficult, if not impossible. This undermines safety margins and adds to the logistical challenges of maintaining aircraft, especially as fleets age and system reliability becomes paramount.

The inefficiencies of ARINC 429 also impede the integration of newer avionics technologies, such as real-time sensor fusion, predictive maintenance diagnostics, and increasingly common software-defined avionics systems that thrive on flexible, high-throughput data networks.

Yet, replacing ARINC 429 wholesale is far easier said than done. The aviation industry is famously conservative when it comes to certifying new systems due to the immense safety stakes involved. Every component of an avionics suite must undergo rigorous testing, certification, and integration validation that can take years and cost millions of dollars.

Since ARINC 429 hardware and interfaces are deeply embedded in the architecture of countless existing aircraft — from legacy Boeing and Airbus models to business jets and military transports — retrofitting or redesigning these systems involves massive logistical, technical, and regulatory hurdles.

Gradual Evolution

The industry is addressing the ARINC 429 problem primarily through gradual evolution rather than revolution. One of the most significant steps has been the adoption of newer data bus standards such as ARINC 664, better known as the Avionics Full-Duplex Switched Ethernet (AFDX) protocol.

AFDX supports gigabit Ethernet speeds, full duplex communication, and deterministic data delivery, enabling avionics systems to communicate on a shared network rather than fixed point-to-point links. This significantly reduces wiring complexity, increases bandwidth availability, and allows for more robust fault tolerance and network management.

AFDX is already the foundation for avionics data communication on modern aircraft like the A350 and B787, which incorporate “fly-by-wire” controls, integrated modular avionics, and sophisticated sensor fusion architectures that would be impossible to support efficiently with ARINC 429.

However, AFDX’s transition has been slow and incremental. Legacy aircraft continue to operate with ARINC 429 buses due to the prohibitive cost of retrofits and the complexity of certifying mixed-technology systems. Hybrid solutions often combine legacy ARINC 429 hardware with gateway devices that translate between the old and new protocols, easing integration without full system replacement.

This article originally appeared in our partner publication, Aircraft Value News.

John Persinos is the editor-in-chief of Aircraft Value News.

The post Legacy Avionics: Dilemmas Posed by the Aging ARINC 429 Bus appeared first on Avionics International.

Cockpit Cold War: How U.S.-E.U. Tensions Are Scrambling the Future of Avionics

Global Avionics Round-Up from Aircraft Value News (AVN)

In the high-stakes arena of international diplomacy, tariffs and trade threats rarely remain confined to spreadsheets and customs booths. This year, when President Donald Trump threatened fresh tariffs on European Union exports, much of the media attention focused on agriculture, luxury goods, and cars.

But quietly, and with potentially long-lasting consequences, these tensions are rattling one of the most sensitive corners of the aerospace industry: avionics.

The avionics industry has become one of the most intricate and globally interconnected sectors in aviation. Unlike engines or airframes, where a handful of dominant players control the space, avionics rely on a dense network of multinational partnerships, cross-licensing agreements, and real-time technological co-development. Many avionics suppliers are smaller-cap tech companies that don’t have brand name recognition.

Now, with the reemergence of protectionist rhetoric, particularly from the Trump regime, the risk of economic nationalism interfering with avionics development is no longer theoretical.

The E.U. and the U.S. are historically interdependent when it comes to building cockpits. Consider that Thales, the French electronics giant, supplies cockpit displays to Boeing, while Honeywell and Collins Aerospace—U.S. titans—power major Airbus systems.

The very nature of avionics collaboration is rooted in decades of transatlantic engineering trust and shared standards. Disrupt that flow, and the consequences ripple far beyond supply chains.

As tariffs materialize and bilateral tensions escalate into regulatory divergence, the cockpit could become collateral damage in a trade war that neither side can afford. European manufacturers might be pressured to localize supply chains or pivot toward domestic partners to mitigate tariff risks. That could mean Thales or Leonardo pushing to reduce their dependency on U.S. chips or software modules.

Likewise, American giants like Honeywell might see increasing pressure from Washington to “buy American” and recalibrate avionics development away from European integration. But that would be both costly and regressive.

Modern cockpits, especially in next-gen aircraft like the Airbus A321XLR or Boeing’s 777X, are not simple plug-and-play consoles. They are the result of years of international Research and Development (R&D), where flight management systems must conform to requirements from both the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

The Erosion of Trust

The widening gulf between U.S. and E.U. regulatory frameworks, driven by a more protectionist trade posture, complicates dual certification and leads to longer lead times, higher costs, and ultimately, lower safety margins. In aviation, delays are not just about time. They’re about trust.

There’s also the real possibility that retaliatory tariffs from Brussels could make U.S. avionics less competitive globally. If European OEMs—especially Airbus, ATR, or even the rising COMAC partners in China—find it costlier to procure American avionics, they may seek alternatives from European or Asian suppliers.

Trump’s shattering of transatlantic cooperation has already frayed nerves in aerospace circles. For avionics, which now represent a growing share of aircraft value (sometimes up to 30% in military platforms), that’s a ticking time bomb.

Avionics innovation also depends heavily on seamless data flow and joint research. Programs like Single European Sky ATM Research (SESAR) in Europe and NextGen in the U.S. are designed to modernize air traffic control and cockpit integration.

These initiatives rely on data harmonization, synchronized upgrade cycles, and common interoperability standards. If geopolitics splinters these efforts into region-specific silos, the world could face a divided sky, where aircraft optimized for U.S. or E.U. airspace become less efficient or even incompatible when flying transcontinental routes.

The effect on military avionics is poised to be even more profound. NATO allies have traditionally shared electronic systems for fighter jets, drones, and surveillance aircraft. If Trump’s America First doctrine makes it harder to export sensitive avionics tech to European partners or imposes bureaucratic hurdles, joint defense programs could splinter. That would undermine collective security while opening a window for China or Russia to deepen their own bilateral military tech ties in areas where the West should dominate.

Unlike fuselage makers or engine OEMs, avionics companies operate in an environment of razor-thin margins and long development timelines. Uncertainty around tariffs or cross-border licensing raises their risk profiles and deflates corporate valuations, especially for firms with high European exposure.

This article originally appeared in our partner publication, Aircraft Value News.

John Persinos is the editor-in-chief of Aircraft Value News.

The post Cockpit Cold War: How U.S.-E.U. Tensions Are Scrambling the Future of Avionics appeared first on Avionics International.

China’s Avionics Revolution: Why the West Should Be Worried

Global Avionics Round-Up from Aircraft Value News (AVN)

China’s C919 made its official entry into the civil aviation market.

For decades, Western aerospace giants like Honeywell, Thales, and Collins Aerospace have dominated the avionics market, supplying critical systems for both commercial and military aircraft around the globe.

However, China is emerging as a formidable challenger. Armed with a state-driven mandate for technological independence, the Chinese aviation industry is rapidly developing indigenous avionics technologies that not only rival their Western counterparts but also threaten to erode their global market dominance.

At the heart of this shift is the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), a sprawling state-owned conglomerate that has poured billions into advancing avionics systems for platforms like COMAC’s C919 and the forthcoming CR929.

One of AVIC’s most consequential achievements is the development of a domestic Integrated Modular Avionics (IMA) platform. This system architecture, which consolidates multiple avionics functions into shared processing modules, mirrors the sophisticated layouts used on Airbus A350s and Boeing 787s. It marks a major departure from China’s previous reliance on imported IMA systems from Western suppliers.

The shift enables not just faster avionics development but also software flexibility, better fault isolation, and reduced maintenance costs, all designed and manufactured without U.S. export restrictions.

Homegrown Technology, in the Skies and in Space

Equally transformative is China’s use of its own satellite navigation system, BeiDou. Integrated into both military and civilian aircraft, BeiDou offers a complete alternative to the American GPS, Russian GLONASS, and European Galileo systems. For countries under threat of Western sanctions or export restrictions, the idea of a truly independent, satellite-guided flight management ecosystem is alluring—and China is positioning itself to provide it.

Another area where China is making strides is in Fly-by-Wire (FBW) systems. Historically, the control laws and redundancy frameworks for FBW in commercial aircraft were the domain of Western software engineers.

Today, the C919 boasts a homegrown FBW system with indigenous control laws—core to managing flight stability, pitch and roll behavior, and emergency response. The fact that China has developed, tested, and implemented these laws without reliance on external expertise speaks volumes about its maturity in flight software.

While these advancements are impressive, the most forward-looking innovations are coming from China’s push to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into avionics.

AVIC has been testing AI-driven health monitoring systems that proactively diagnose and predict component failures in engines and other critical systems. These predictive maintenance tools are designed to reduce operating costs, minimize downtime, and improve overall aircraft safety. Similar to GE’s Predix or Honeywell’s GoDirect, China’s version may soon appeal to developing nations seeking high-tech features at lower price points.

One of the more subtle yet powerful changes taking place is the move toward open-architecture avionics, a strategy that unifies military and civilian applications. In contrast to the tightly controlled, proprietary systems favored by many Western firms, open architecture allows for faster system upgrades, sensor integration, and broader cross-platform compatibility.

This modularity is being applied across the board, from the J-20 stealth fighter to the upcoming CR929 widebody jet, and it gives Chinese engineers the ability to plug in new capabilities, such as radar, jamming, and satellite communications, without having to overhaul entire systems.

Meanwhile, China has also developed its own Flight Management System (FMS), long considered one of the most complex elements of avionics design. FMS governs everything from navigation to fuel efficiency and compliance with air traffic management rules.

Replacing Western FMS solutions with a domestically produced alternative not only cements China’s self-sufficiency but also lays the groundwork for a more exportable product that doesn’t carry U.S. International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) baggage.

While Chinese avionics systems are not yet equal in every respect to their Western counterparts, the trajectory is unmistakable. China is no longer playing catch-up; it’s beginning to innovate on its own terms.

This article originally appeared in our partner publication, Aircraft Value News.

John Persinos is the editor-in-chief of Aircraft Value News.

The post China’s Avionics Revolution: Why the West Should Be Worried appeared first on Avionics International.

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