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Avionics 201001 PDF
Avionics 201001 PDF
Applying
NextGen
Military Market
Business Outlook
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military
Growth Curb..................................18
U.S. military spending is shifting from big-ticket platforms to a more
diversified portfolio. What does this portend for avionics suppliers?
by Ed McKenna
business/GA
Business Climb Out...................... 22
After a difficult 2009, the business aviation sector faces another
special section
NextGen Task Force.................... 25
The U.S. aviation community looks to RTCA’s list of actionable
recommendations to implement NextGen operating capabilities.
product focus
Connectors................................... 33
33
Legacy connectors vie with newer designs for the latest applications
by Barry Rosenberg
Advancing NextGen
J
anuary is the occasion for looking 25. “What we’re doing right now,” he stated, “is
forward, and there is no more forward- we’re going through, assessing those recommen-
looking topic than the Next Generation dations against the current planning … identify-
Air Transportation System (NextGen). ing where the gaps are, what adjustments need to
To bring us up to date — you’ll recall the RTCA be made in the planning, what adjustments may
NextGen Mid-Term Implementation Task Force need to be made from a budgetary point of view.”
issued recommendations four months ago that As have other FAA executives, Romanowski
have the potential to influence aviation policy spoke of the overriding importance of NextGen.
and practice for the next decade. “It’s been clearly articulated from the president
The work did not end with the delivery of that on down, through the Secretary of Transporta-
report to FAA. RTCA President Margaret Jenny, tion to the new administrator, that NextGen is an
senior FAA executives, Department of Transpor- administration priority, it’s a national priority to
tation Inspector General Calvin L. Scovel III and do this,” he said. Indeed, Transportation Secretary
Our parent Gerald Dillingham of the Government Account- Ray LaHood and FAA Administrator Randy
company and ability Office testified on the Task Force report
Oct. 28 before the House Aviation Subcommittee.
Babbitt in November announced the formation
of a new federal advisory committee to study all
RTCA have There, where the purse strings extend, the report aspects of the aviation industry, with an emphasis
was well-received by committee members. Chair- on NextGen, following an invitation-only meeting
concluded a man Jerry F. Costello (D-Ill.) described it as “a with airlines, airports and labor groups.
new agreement positive step forward and a significant break- Romanowski and other participants in the
through in the NextGen effort.” Ranking minor- RTCA Task Force served as panelists for our
that will see us ity member Thomas E. Petri (R-Wis.) called the Nov. 4 webinar, “NextGen Task Force: Applying
report “an important milestone in the long history The Recommendations.” Their comments are
co-produce the of ATC modernization.” excerpted in the special section, which includes a
spring RTCA The following day, the RTCA Air Traffic comparison of NextGen and the Single European
Management Advisory Committee (ATMAC), Sky ATM Research (SESAR) initiative by con-
Symposium and responding to a request from FAA, established an tributing editor and retired Northwest Airlines
interim NextGen Implementation Work Group to pilot Frank Alexander.
a second serve as a communications link between industry Through our “NowGenNEXT” conference
conference and government as the Task Force recommenda- Sept. 15, organized in partnership with RTCA;
tions are assimilated in FAA’s planning process. the Nov. 4 webinar, this month’s special section
this fall. The ATMAC also honored FAA’s request to form and ongoing industry coverage, Avionics Maga-
a new Trajectory Operations (Tops) work group, zine has played a small but significant role in
to “fill an urgent need for a common TOps con- disseminating information about NextGen to a
cept, understanding and vocabulary across the broad aviation audience. I’m proud of that con-
aviation community,” the RTCA Digest reported. tribution to the future of aviation and pleased
How much of the “airport and metroplex- to announce that our parent company, Access
centric” approach of the Task Force finds its way Intelligence, and RTCA have concluded a new
into FAA planning will become clearer this month agreement that will see us co-produce the RTCA
with the release of the 2010 update of the Next- Symposium and a second conference this fall, ten-
Gen Implementation Plan. The Task Force report tatively scheduled for April and September. Check
provides a “definitive jump start to actually imple- these pages and our Web site, aviationtoday.com,
menting NextGen,” Hank Krakowski, chief oper- for updates. Also, you can look forward to a new
ating officer of FAA’s Air Traffic Organization, series of webinars on NextGen topics.
told the House subcommittee. “ … The intention As the leading publishing brand focused on
is to have as much of this framed out as possible civil and military avionics, we’re doing what we
for the NextGen plan update in January.” can to advance NextGen.
Michael Romanowski, FAA’s director of
NextGen Integration and Implementation, offers
insight into the agency’s decision-making process
in our NextGen special section, beginning on page
Helicopter Safety: Following a spate of medical helicopter accidents, the National Transpor-
tation Safety Board has recommended several steps to improve helicopter safety. These recom-
mendations place emphasis on new avionics, including terrain warning systems, TCAS and
night-vision goggles.
Asia’s MRO Hub: Singapore is a regional hotbed for aircraft maintenance, repair and over-
haul. We take a look at some of the U.S. company investments in Singapore’s MRO market-
place, and ask what companies plan to emphasize at the Singapore Airshow.
Product Focus, Health Management Systems: From rotating parts to structures and
avionics, Health and Usage Monitoring Systems enable predictive maintenance.
Contact:
Western U.S. and Canada: Kevin Reinhart at 972-713-6494, kreinhart@accessintel.com
Eastern U.S. and Canada: Joe Milroy at 215-598-0933 or jmilroy@accessintel.com
International: James McAuley at www.avtoday.com/av
6 Avionics Magazine January 2010
+34 952 118018 or jmcauley@accessintel.com 16632
EDITORIAL
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Bill Carey
301-354-1818
bcarey@accessintel.com
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
Frank Alexander, Frank Colucci, Ron Laurenzo,
George Marsh, Ed McKenna, Douglas Nelms,
James W. Ramsey, Barry Rosenberg, Jean-Michel Guhl
MIL-SPEC TOUGH.
jmcauley@accessintel.com
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30
and aftermarket services offerings,” said improve safety and bring greater efficien-
BUSINESS/GA Clay Jones, Rockwell Collins chairman, cies to the National Airspace System,
president and CEO. “Air Routing’s strong FAA said.
Head-Up Guidance customer relationships, flight opera- “The team concept is designed to
Rockwell Collins in December received tions support services and trusted agent create competitive synergy within each
FAA certification of its HGS-6605 Head- network complement our information group, driving innovation so that each
Up Guidance System on the Bombardier management strategy to deliver enhanced team comes up with the best possible
Challenger 605. The head-up display was value to business aircraft operators.” product,” the agency said. “The FAA
developed together with an Enhanced also structured the contracts, using mar-
Vision System by Rockwell Collins. ket survey data, to encourage bids from
The HGS-6605, with inertial flight-
Commercial teams that will include small companies
path vector, presents critical flight infor- as prime contractors as well as subcon-
mation in the pilot’s forward field of view. SE2020 Contracts tractors. The agency is looking for the
The display features 42 degree horizontal FAA in December said it is soliciting bids best and the brightest, regardless of size.”
and 30 degree vertical field of view. from companies for NextGen support Five-year contracts will be awarded
Synthetic vision is possible as a growth contracts with a combined value of $7 next summer, with subsequent three- and
feature, the company said. billion, which would be the largest award two-year options, according to FAA.
in the agency’s history.
Air Routing Under the System Engineering 2020 NextGen Park
Rockwell Collins announced plans in (SE2020) effort, FAA will award as many Federal, state and local officials broke
November to acquire AR Group, Inc., as five separate contracts to industry ground Oct. 19 on a research park in New
and its affiliated companies, including teams for research and development Jersey dedicated to advancing NextGen
Air Routing International, a provider of and systems engineering work. SE2020 technologies.
trip support services for business aircraft “will complement and enhance” major FAA is leasing 55 acres to the South
flight operations. Terms of the transac- NextGen initiatives, including Auto- Jersey Economic Development District to
tion were not disclosed. matic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast build the NextGen Aviation Research and
Air Routing, based in Houston, has (ADS-B), System Wide Information Technology Park (http://nextgenaviation-
240 employees and provides flight depart- Management (SWIM) and Data Com- park.org), located next to FAA’s William
ments with trip planning services. munications, the agency said. J. Hughes Technical Center and Atlantic
Rockwell Collins said the acquisition The contract teams will focus on a City International Airport in Pomona,
will extend its offerings to enable global series of operational capabilities, includ- N.J. The state’s Casino Reinvestment
flight operation support services that ing Trajectory-Based Operations, Col- Development Authority in August
leverage emerging connectivity systems. laborative Air Traffic Management and approved $1.6 million for initial organiza-
“The acquisition of Air Routing will Reduced Weather Impact. The goal is tional and construction design costs.
broaden our information management to achieve early NextGen successes to The park will offer a central location
Naverus Acquired
GE Aviation announced plans in Novem-
ber to acquire Naverus, of Kent, Wash.,
a provider of performance-based naviga-
tion (PBN) services. Financial terms of
the transaction were not disclosed.
“GE is committed to delivering solu-
tions that help our customers operate
aircraft more efficiently, with reduced
environmental impact,” said Lorraine
Bolsinger, GE Aviation Systems president
and CEO. “The acquisition of Naverus
brings some of the best PBN technol-
ogy to GE Aviation’s Systems business,
further expanding our commitment to
deliver environmental results for our cus-
tomers.”
GE said Required Navigation Perfor-
mance (RNP) expertise from Naverus will
enhance its existing suite of avionics and
flight management systems. In Septem-
ber, Naverus received FAA approval to
design and validate RNP flight paths for
public use in the United States.
“Customers will continue to benefit
from the same expertise and service
for which Naverus is known, while the
strength of GE provides a platform for
future innovation and growth,” said
Naverus CEO Steve Forte.
DO-178B Certification
SYSGO, of Mainz, Germany, said its
first software-based ARINC 664 Avionics
Full-Duplex Switched Ethernet (AFDX)
system received DO-178B Level C certifi-
cation. The implementation is part of an
engine monitoring unit (EMU) developed
Photo courtesy Symvionics
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Goodrich’s guidance, control and naviga-
tion systems. Combining our engineering
strengths and technology will enable us
to further support U.S. and allied forces
across the full spectrum of guidance and
control systems.”
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The U.S. Navy awarded a four-year pro- L^i]6>BÉhcZlVcYEdlZg[ja=VcYnEdgiVWaZJH7
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LITEF engineers in 1989. AIM traces its ability to improve night-time ISR for complex switching operation in a
beginnings to the Eurofighter program, ground forces. By providing 360-degree test system has always been an
for which it developed and built the first infrared coverage, troops can obtain issue. For this reason Pickering
test equipment for the NATO standard greater target location accuracy and Interfaces has introduced
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people, produces avionics test and simu- used by the British Army in Iraq and featuring up to 4512 relays per
lation modules, embedded interfaces, Afghanistan, consists of a lightweight, module. The BIRST test needs
databus analyzer software, data loaders ruggedized air vehicle with “Plug and no external test gear – it quickly
and system solutions for Mil-Std-1553, Playloads” snap-on payload capability, identifies the position of any
STANAG 3910/EFEX, ARINC 429, a portable ground station and a remote defective or suspect relays and
identifies the position of both
AFDX/ARINC 664, Gigabit Ethernet, video terminal. failed and degraded relays
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switching matrix. Upgrade to
man will build two Block 30 systems GmbH on Nov. 17 signed a five-year Pickering PXI and %,567 and
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Aeronautical Systems Group at Wright million) with Italy’s Finmeccanica Group working to peak performance.
Patterson AFB in Dayton, Ohio. The for integrated support services of Italian
award includes a ground station consist- Air Force Typhoons. Support services
ing of a launch and recovery element and will be carried out by Alenia Aeronau-
a mission control element, plus two addi- tica, as prime contractor, together with
tional sensor suites that will be retrofitted Selex Galileo, Selex Communications and
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infrared and synthetic aperture radar avionics for its 25 Boeing 737-800s. The
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CONFERENCE PRODUCED
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Growth Curb
U.S. military spending is shifting from big-ticket platforms to a more
diversified portfolio. What does this portend for avionics suppliers?
By Ed McKenna
I
although that initiative has been stretched Improved communications and ISR
n 2009, a new U.S. administration from three to five years or maybe longer actually “go hand and hand,” she said.
and a shift in defense priorities stirred depending on the aircraft, he said. It won’t matter “if you have great intel-
unease throughout the military aero- Still, with the United States involved ligence and an F-22 can’t communicate it
space industry. in a two-front war, communications to an F-16.”
After years of substantial growth technology “is probably less (affected by Lockheed Martin, for example, is
in defense spending, the Obama admin- budget pressures) because the military developing its Video from Unmanned
istration endeavored in its first defense realizes it needs information superiority,” Aircraft for Interoperability Teaming-
budget to trim and retarget spending. said Theresa Hartley, defense electronics Level 2 (VUIT-2) to help solve the afore-
The objective, according to Defense Sec- analyst for Forecast International. mentioned issue by delivering imagery
retary Robert Gates: replace high-priced This need is spurring demand for from UAVs to Apache cockpits.
“niche, silver-bullet” solutions, such as systems like the Multifunctional Informa- The military also is pushing ahead
the F-22 Raptor air superiority fighter tion Distribution System (MIDS) sup- with efforts to move its aircraft from fed-
with “a portfolio of military capabilities plied by ViaSat, of Carlsbad, Calif., and erated to integrated architectures, Plucker
with maximum versatility across the wid- Data Link Solutions, the joint venture of said. Eventually, all systems brought onto
est possible spectrum of conflict.” That Rockwell Collins and BAE Systems. aircraft will be plug-and-play, and the
portfolio will feature the multi-role F-35 F-35 is “the poster child” for this effort.
Lightning II as well as unmanned aerial Unlike older aircraft with strapped-on
vehicles (UAV), already widely used in The F-35 Lightning II is targeting pods, for example, the F-35’s
Iraq and Afghanistan. destined to become the Electro-Optical Targeting System (EOTS)
The policy shift, plus the need to from Lockheed Martin is integrated into
address growing battlefield and mili-
world’s dominant fighter. the fuselage with a sapphire optical win-
tary personnel costs, is likely to put the But one caveat is cost. dow. The system provides high-resolution
squeeze on aviation spending. “Every- imagery, automatic tracking, infrared
thing is being stretched out on the air Last June, the Air Force’s 653rd Elec- search-and-track, laser designation
side because of the ground-side needs” tronic Systems Group at Hanscom Air and range finding. Lockheed Martin in
from technology upgrades to aircraft Force Base, Mass., awarded Northrop November announced the delivery of the
programs, said Frost & Sullivan analyst Grumman a $276 million contract for the first EOTS production units to its Aero-
Wayne Plucker. Battlefield Airborne Communications nautics division in Fort Worth, Texas.
Overall, the outlook for avionics sales Node (BACN) “to fulfill an urgent and The company is ramping up to produce
is mixed not only because of the program compelling requirement for enhanced 200 units a year, with a production goal
cuts and delays, but also the fact that the communications capability,” according to of more than 3,000 units.
Air Force and Navy will have fewer funds the company’s announcement. BACN is a The single-seat, single-engine F-35
to work with after finishing “a bunch of forward-deployed airborne communica- uses Northrop Grumman’s integrated
really expensive avionics upgrades on the tions relay and network-centric informa- communications, navigation and identifi-
legacy airplanes,” Plucker said. Those tion server. The contract covered installa- cation (CNI) system, providing the equiv-
improvements include investments in tion on two Bombardier BD-700 Global alent of more than 40 avionics subsystem
cargo and tanker aircraft under the Glob- Express jets and two Global Hawk Block functions, including IFF transponder,
al Air Traffic Management program. 20 UAVs, as well as continuing operation automatic acquisition of fly-to points and
The upshot is “the mod-cycle budgets of a BACN-equipped BD-700 deployed voice and data communications.
are going to be very small, and there are in December 2008. While airborne ISR and communica-
few drivers that could cause an uptick Intelligence, Surveillance, and Recon- tions hold some promise for avionics
(before) 2013,” Plucker said. However, naissance (ISR) is another area with suppliers, the new aircraft market offers
there is a significant effort to retrofit digi- urgent need. “The commanders in Iraq fewer prospects. In fact, the capping
tal data link systems on legacy aircraft, are screaming for it,” Hartley said. of the F-22 program is part of a “shift
The first F-35B Lightning II STOVL variant, designated BF-1, lands Nov. 15 at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., after flying from
Fort Worth, Texas, and Dobbins AFB, Ga. The first production-representative CTOL variant, AF-1, made its maiden flight Nov. 14 at
Lockheed Martin’s Fort Worth facility, the fourth F-35 to begin flight operations. Lockheed Martin reported 31 aircraft in assembly.
away from the high-end, more complex, One caveat is cost. In 2008, the Penta- pete for the program.
larger aviation systems (to) UAVs, like gon’s Joint Estimating Team indicated the The unmanned aircraft will offer some
the Predator, Reaper and possibly the program was “coming in at a much higher challenges to avionics companies. “You
Navy Unmanned Combat Air System figure (than planned) and that is going to are going to need avionics regardless of
(N-UCAS) and the Joint Cargo Aircraft,” really eat into things,” said Harrison. what is in the cockpit,” but the flat-panel
said Todd Harrison, a defense budget Analysts already concede the U.S. display and HUD suppliers “may need to
analyst at the Center for Strategic and military will scale back its planned over- rethink what they are doing,” Pike said.
Budgetary Assessments. “All of these all acquisitions. Slated to acquire 1,763 An unmanned fighter aircraft would
systems are more applicable to the types of the CTOL variants, for example, the seem to be a logical follow-on to the
of irregular conflicts we are in in Iraq and Air Force will more likely buy about explosive growth of military UAVs
Afghanistan,” Harrison said. 1,500, Jaworowski said. The Navy and since 9/11. “When we got into Iraq and
The lone exception is the F-35 Light- Marine Corps plan to acquire 680 aircraft Afghanistan, and (the battles) shifted
ning II, which is destined to become “the between them. to counter insurgency campaigns, the
dominant fighter program in the world,” Meanwhile, the next generation fighter demand for UAVs really took off because
said Raymond Jaworowski, senior aero- “has been put off for the time being,” the U.S. didn’t have enough troops to gar-
space analyst at Forecast International. said Harrison. John Pike, director of rison every square mile of (those coun-
While technologically sophisticated, the GlobalSecurity.org, said that aircraft will tries),” said Larry Dickerson, unmanned
F-35 fulfills Gates’ call for versatility likely mark a move to unmanned combat vehicles analyst for Forecast Internation-
with its conventional takeoff and landing air vehicles. The main question now “is al. Before that time, the United States had
(CTOL), short take-off and vertical land- whether the F-35 is the UCAV incumbent a couple hundred systems in service; now
ing (STOVL) and carrier-based variants. or whether unmanned combat capability it has more than 6,000.
“Anyone who flies anything from F-16s is so different that a robotized F-35 will “There are more UAVs being pur-
to early model F/A-18s and Harriers can simply be one of several contestants,” he chased because they have proved their
be looked at as potential F-35 customers,” said. Both Boeing and Northrop Grum- worth,” said Plucker.
said Jaworowski. man have UCAVs that would likely com- Nevertheless, while effective in the
Co-located with: Flagship Media Sponsors: Owned & Produced by: Sponsor: Supporting Organisation:
20 2320_Avionics10_MAE_AD_177x120.indd
Avionics Magazine January 2010 1 www.avtoday.com/av 13/11/09 16:30:42
A400M four-engine turboprop made its
long-delayed first flight Dec. 11 in Spain,
but remained a troubled program with
$3.4 billion in cost overruns. Representa-
tives of France, Germany, the U.K. and
other countries that first placed orders for
180 aircraft were negotiating their respec-
tive contributions to the program.
“The military need for those that
ordered the aircraft is real,” said
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Climb-Out
After freefalling in 2009, the business aviation sector is faced with
another difficult year before an expected recovery begins in 2011
By Emily Feliz
L
Wilson, president of Honeywell business Business jet manufacturers were par-
ast year was one of the worst and general aviation. The forecast points ticularly hard hit in 2009, with customers
years in recent memory for busi- to stabilization in fleet utilization and used walking away from deposits, backlogs
ness aviation, leaving suppliers aircraft; net new jet orders are expected to shrinking and used aircraft inventories
and manufacturers hopeful the be positive in 2010 and 2011; and 40 per- growing. The conditions forced Cessna to
bottom has been reached. How- cent of survey respondents planned to buy cancel its large-cabin Citation Columbus
ever, even the most optimistic of forecasts a business jet in the next five years. development, a jet that was to be equipped
predicts a soft business aviation market in “It really isn’t all bleak,” Wilson said. with the Rockwell Collins Pro Line Fusion
2010 and beyond. “There’s strong belief by the customer avionics suite.
The symptoms of the global reces- base that business aviation is something Jack Pelton, Cessna chairman, presi-
sion are evident throughout the busi- they’re going to continue invest in.” dent and CEO, described 2009 as “brutal,”
ness aviation sector; airframers, avionics Also, demand outside of North Amer- but added “we think the worst is behind
manufacturers and other companies have ica is forecast to be stronger, according to us. We’re seeing the tide turning slower
experienced cancelled or delayed orders, Honeywell. than we would have liked,” but “people are
shrinking backlogs, lower profits and “The relatively stronger levels and tim- back flying again. Phones are starting to
layoffs. The National Business Aviation ing of international purchase plans sug- ring, which is good news for aircraft order
Association (NBAA) annual convention gests that pent-up demand will improve intake.”
and exhibition in October in Orlando, both order intake and new jet delivery Certification and customer deliveries
Fla., was decidedly downbeat as splashy rates by 2011-2012, similar to what the are expected for some new airframes in
product announcements and elaborate industry experienced in the last cycle,” 2010, including the Cessna Citation CJ4
displays were supplanted by empty booth Wilson said. “Despite some program can- with Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 suite
space and lower foot traffic. cellations and delays, there is still a solid and large-cabin Embraer Legacy 650,
On the eve of NBAA, Honeywell pipeline of new, high-value models sup- equipped with Honeywell Primus Elite avi-
released its bellwether business aviation porting long-term growth and our survey onics, both in the second half of the year.
forecast, which revealed what many in the indicates that international demand will Embraer provided some excitement at
sector already knew — business aviation is remain significant.” NBAA last October by revealing the Lega-
facing a steep climb back to the peak deliv- Not all industry analysts are optimistic cy 650, a longer range version of the super
ery levels of 2008. According to the fore- about a near-term recovery. Speaking Oct. midsize Legacy 600 that first flew Sept. 23
cast, the sector won’t begin to see recovery 27 during an Aviation Today Webinar, in Brazil. The Gulfstream G650 is moving
until 2011, and it will be 2017 before deliv- “Business Jets: Separating the Reality forward with its flight test program as well;
eries rebound to the 2008 benchmark. From the Hype,” Brian Foley, president the ultra-long-range aircraft achieved its
Through the third quarter of 2009, of Brian Foley Associates, of Sparta, N.J., first flight in November 2009.
business jet deliveries were down 25 per- questioned the timing and strength of any For avionics OEMs the economic
cent from the previous year, representing recovery. (To hear an archived version of downturn provides an opportunity to
a 24 percent decrease in constant 2009 the discussion, visit www.aviationtoday. invest in current products, adding new
dollars. Looking forward, Honeywell fore- com/webinars.) capabilities and new airframe applications.
casts deliveries will continue to drop off “In the next 10 years we don’t even see “Successful companies are the ones
in 2010 before climbing in 2011. Peak-to- (business jet) deliveries coming back to that continue to be innovative despite the
trough decline (2008 to 2010) will be in the 2008 levels,” Foley said. “The business avi- downturn,” said Esterline CMC Elec-
range of 40 percent or more, according to ation industry is a fairly young industry. … tronics President Greg Yeldon. In recent
the forecast. We’ve been blessed that after every trough months, CMC’s GPS product line was
There is a bright side, according to Rob we hit a new peak, but is that sustainable?” FAA-certified for stand-alone approach
Communications • Sensing & Surveillance • Space • Advanced Engineering & Integrated Services
24 Avionics Magazine January 2010 www.avtoday.com/av
ITT, the Engineered Blocks logo, and ENGINEERED FOR LIFE are registered trademarks of ITT Manufacturing Enterprises, Inc. and are used under license. ©2009, ITT Corporation
A special section to Magazine
NextGen
Task Force
Applying The Recommendations
T
he focus was to come up with a to enable weather reroutes or revised they had developed in the earlier part
small list of operational capabili- predeparture clearances to be deliv- of the Task Force — a list of about 125
ties long on details … rather than ered. You deploy ADS-B infrastructure operational capabilities — and we
focusing on technologies. One of the for what you can do with it, such as assessed each one of these for what
things that drove the Task Force was reduced aircraft separation or efficient are the issues that would have to be
the idea that these capabilities needed merging and spacing. The key point addressed prior to implementation of
to be capabilities that were desired by being: we’re looking to deliver capabili- one of these operational capabilities by
a particular operator, and to be able ties, not technologies. the 2015-2018 time frame.
to describe in appropriate detail what … In addition to seven operational The other area that had to be
that capability was, where it would be domain areas (see chart, page 27), addressed was operational approvals.
required and where it would be able to which had 29 specific operational capa- Operational approvals, by necessity,
deliver benefits, and when that capabil- bilities addressed in them, there were have become very complex. But by the
ity would be able to do that. Critical four recommendations considered criti- same token, if we are able to come up
to all of this was that it was based on a cal to success that were overarching. with a plan to provide the benefits from
performance-based operating environ- One was to achieve the existing 3 and these problems areas and solve these,
ment; it wasn’t a technology specific 5 nautical mile separation standards we can’t be held hostage for a couple
approach to the problem. that exist in the system today through of years trying to work through opera-
Unlike earlier task force efforts, we changing culture and some of the buf- tional approval. We needed to find a
also included the operators’ financial fers that get built into the system today; way to work that in parallel.
decision makers to try to get an assess- to incentivize investments; streamline … People look at Data Comm and
ment of the costs and benefits and the operational approval of the new say, ’well, isn’t that a technology?’ …
[recognizing] that any modernization technology; and then to collaborate It’s something that we found was a
needs to be operationally and finan- with FAA and the aviation community required enabler for a majority of these
cially beneficial. The Task Force devel- on post Task Force implementation. problem areas if we were going to solve
oped actionable recommendations,
and those recommendations were
run through an analytic and objective “That was really kind of the basic premise of
assessment process that was also tem- the Task Force. What is the low-hanging fruit, and
pered with operational input, and the
in order to accomplish that, looking at it from a
goal was to provide recommendations
with a maximum benefit and a mini- metroplex standpoint became an obvious way.”
mum risk. The goal truly was to start
the community on a joint path to imple- −Capt. David Strand, American Airlines
mentation by building mutual trust and
confidence. Capt. David Strand them. It is the way that we’re going to
Over 330 individuals participated in be able to change the mindset, the real
A
one or more of our seven plenary meet- s we looked at these problem way that a controller is able to manage
ings. Those individuals were from 141 areas, one of the key problems the airspace. That became something
different organizations. that we have as operators, wheth- of high importance and it was some-
... To merely deploy a data communi- er it’s a major airline or a business jet or thing we [described] as a cross-cutting
cations network, or the ERAM updates even light aircraft General Aviation, is capability that went across several of
26 January 2010 nextgen Special Section
NextGen Task Force
I
looked at the capabilities that I would tions of it can be used and we need to to NextGen, but [with] some question
call shovel-ready, mature capabili- take advantage of those. Traffic Man- on the technologies and a fair amount
ties. I think those are the kind that we agement Advisor, again, that’s been of work to be done before we can real-
can move forward on very quickly, and deployed at a number of airports and ly move forward. That’s like Integrated
that’s surface surveillance; the ASDE-X it just needs to continue expansion. ATM. FAA needs to do a lot of work in
integrating the whole picture, in get- it goes back to the business case deci- say this is critical to the nation to move
ting the SWIM information out to ev- sion also. Bundling within, for instance, forward.
eryone so that we have a total picture a datalink is great, and you can build a There also needs to be a little more
of what’s going on in the NAS. I think business case. But you’re kind of build- work into mapping the next generation
that’s critical. There is a fair amount ing that in a silo. Are you really inte- roadmap, taking these capabilities and
of work that still needs to be done in grating it across all the technologies showing a clear path where we’re going
that direction. Special Activity Airspace and getting the best use of data com- to go. There are some capabilities that
management; obviously there is a lot munications? The same thing can be were recommended by the Task Force
of negotiation that has to occur with said about navigation or surveillance. that basically solve the same problem,
the Department of Defense, so I think You really need to integrate those especially, for instance, in the Cruise
that may take a while to get where we technologies. If you’re really going to [domain]. There are six or seven that
want to go with that, especially making go in and do a major retrofit on the go after the same benefit. They are all
sure that the military needs are accom- aircraft, you don’t want to go in and do good ideas, but which idea or combina-
modated. Converging and crossing datalink this year and RNP next year, tion of ideas or capabilities give you the
runway utilization — work’s been done add the GPS the next year and then do biggest bang for your buck because I
on that for quite a while and it’s not ADS-B the next year. The out-of-service don’t think you can afford to do all of
quite ready to be implemented. I think [time] would just kill you. them. That’s something the FAA will
there are some alternatives that need So you really have to have the inte- have to do, to basically take a look at
to be looked at. grated package and put those togeth- alternatives analysis. … The Task Force
So again, more work [to be done] er. I think that integrated package really looked at the cost/benefit from
but certainly a big payback. Same with is the only way we’re going to move an operator’s perspective. Obviously
closely spaced parallel approaches from air-traffic control to air-traffic there’s government costs involved and
less than 3400 feet. We’re getting to management, just as we have moved complexity, so the total investment
the point where if we want to go much to the flight management systems on needs to be looked at and evaluated.
below 3400 feet, we do have to have the aircraft, [where] the pilots do a lot
better ways of alerting the crew that less hands on. … It reflects in the work Items Outside The Scope
there has been a blunder and [enable of the FAA also. We can’t look at all … Operators need [an Avionics Road-
them] to do a missed approach. Then these technologies in a silo and try to map] when they’re out buying equip-
airspace redesign; I think that’s critical optimize a subsystem. We have to take ment. They need to know which piece
to NextGen and it really needs to be a look at the total system and integra- of equipment is ready now, which one
is coming down the road. For instance,
if you’re out buying a GPS today, you
“We can’t look at all these technologies in a silo should probably take into account that
and try to optimize a subsystem. We have to take GPS III and Galileo will require a differ-
a look at the total system and come up with a total ent antenna than the one being put on
system optimization.” aircraft today. If I was an operator out
there putting on a GPS, I would want
−Bob Hilb, Aviation Consultant to make sure that not only is the GPS
capable of being upgraded to handle
the new frequency but also that the
done. But we do have some competing tion and come up with a total system antenna is capable of handling things
capabilities here. In some of the large optimization. down the line.
metroplex [areas], New York City for We have a problem with mixed equi-
instance, to really separate the airports page. RNAV/RNP is an example of that. Michael Romanowski, FAA
so they can operate independently … We have a very large percentage of
W
we probably need to go down the RNP RNAV capability, but the RNP capability e’ve been talking about a
route. [But] we don’t quite have the is not nearly that high. So we can move lot of the complexities of
equipage levels we do with RNAV, so if forward on RNAV but we certainly want NextGen, but more impor-
we try to do an airspace redesign that’s to encourage people to take the step tantly we’ve been talking about a path
based on RNAV it may not get us where to RNP. We have such a broad spectrum forward together. On that point, it’s
we want to go and we may have to of capabilities in our aircraft today that incredibly successful what the Task
come back and do an RNP redesign. we have to do that major retrofit, [but] Force has done. … This was not an easy
The Task Force was very short-term, airlines can’t afford to do that right challenge. A year ago, the questions we
and a lot of the things that we need to now. We really need to have a creative were facing were not how do we move
delve into a lot deeper, we really didn’t way of actually getting the money to forward with NextGen together and
have time. That’s why the work needs the airlines so that they can make that what are the priorities, they were ‘what
to continue. I think it’s critical for us to major upgrade of all their equipment is NextGen?’ What the Task Force has
do an integrated CNS/ATM approach. and up-level all the aircraft so that we done has served to bring a coalescence
The ICAO FANS work in the eighties don’t have the mixed equipage prob- of all the stakeholders on how to move
showed that that’s really where you lem and so we can proceed faster … forward, so that is a huge benefit.
get your major benefit, where you can something like low-interest loans that One of the things we recognized
really get the maximum capacity and you pay back out of the benefits. Some- when we looked at sponsoring the
efficiency out of the system. And I think thing where we can get the Congress to Task Force, and asking for the Task
28 January 2010 nextgen Special Section
NextGen Task Force
Stacking Up
SESAR, NextGen
Recommendations of the RTCA NextGen Mid-Term Implementation
Task Force will be reflected in FAA’s NextGen Implementation Plan.
How do those recommendations compare with plans in Europe?
By Frank Alexander
requirements to and beyond 2020, Architecture that serve as the planning
T
he origins of the Single European established a Master Plan for research, documents for improvements to the
Sky ATM Research (SESAR) pro- technology and validation programs U.S. National Airspace System. Chang-
gram and RTCA’s NextGen Mid- and proposed legislative, regulatory es adapted to these documents will be
Term Implementation Task Force, or and financial frameworks for its imple- made in the first quarter of 2010.
Task Force 5 (TF5), differ significantly in mentation. Both programs have support from
that SESAR originated as a result of leg- The SESAR Master Plan identifies their respective user communities
islation created by the European Com- three Implementation Packages (IP). and include implementation plans for
mission in 2004. It established a political IP1 consists of existing R&D programs operational capabilities of both air-
framework for the development of an that are ready for short-term deploy- craft and the ATM system. They also
advanced air-traffic management envi- ment. IP2 addresses R&D for mid-term include financial analysis, incentiviza-
ronment that would support the dou- deployment, and IP3 encompasses tion, research and post implementation
bling of capacity by 2020. R&D for the far term. Each IP is also analysis. The operational capabilities
TF5 began with a request from the further defined in terms of Level of Ser- are similar, differing mostly in terminol-
chief operating officer of FAA’s Air Traf- vice and Level of Capability. ogy, though SESAR seems to place
fic Organization and associate admin- greater emphasis on capabilities of the
istrator for Aviation Safety, asking that Develop and Deploy ATM system than on the aircraft and its
a task force be formed to “establish The Development Phase (2009-2014) is avionics, especially during the period
a community-wide consensus on the managed by the SESAR Joint Under- up to 2013. TF5 recommendations are
NextGen operational improvements to taking, led by the European Commis- more heavily dependent on aircraft and
be implemented during the transition sion and Eurocontrol with contribu- avionics capabilities, policy changes
between now and 2018.” tions from industry partners. During and an emphasis on greater use of
The key difference between SESAR this time, work will be done to develop Area Navigation (RNAV), Required
and TF5 is that SESAR encompasses and validate the IP2 concepts for the Navigation Performance (RNP) and
the full range of research, develop- deployment phase and to generate Vertical Navigation (VNAV)-based flight
ment, regulations and implementa- the regulatory framework to support profiles.
tion of changes to European airspace the proposed changes to the airspace Some of the more notable differ-
from the present to 2020 while TF5 is system. In addition, research will be ences between SESAR and the TF5
primarily focused on the implementa- performed on IP3 long-term concepts. Report include the fact that SESAR’s
tion of operational capabilities that are Finally, the Deployment Phase scope is larger than that of TF5, reach-
achievable up to 2018. will begin around 2015. During this ing much deeper into the areas of
SESAR is broken down into three timeframe, most of the technological research, airspace management, insti-
major phases: Definition, Development advances will be phased into the sys- tutional issues, safety management,
and Deployment. The Definition Phase tem. In parallel, the European Commis- environmental and human factors,
(2005-2008) was managed by the Air sion will begin deploying IP1. among others. The European enroute
Traffic Alliance, a grouping of EADS, The RTCA NextGen Mid-Term airspace structure is completely RNAV-
Airbus and Thales, and developed by Implementation Task Force report, based (RNAV-5) while U.S. enroute
a representative group of stakehold- issued Sept. 9, provided recommenda- airspace is largely conventional, using
ers consisting of more than 30 opera- tions to FAA intended to focus on the ground-based navigation aids to define
tors, Air Navigation Service Providers near and mid-term timeframes extend- the routes.
(ANSPs), airports, airlines, Eurocon- ing out to 2018. The recommendations Conversely, the United States has
trol, Airbus, avionics OEMs and air- adopted by FAA will be incorporated moved aggressively in developing
traffic management (ATM) providers. into the next editions of the NextGen significant numbers of terminal RNAV
It defined the system performance Implementation Plan and Enterprise procedures using RNAV-2 and RNAV-1
while Europe has been somewhat be proposed by the FAA ADS-B rule research but not to the depth as that
slower to introduce Precision-RNAV although the DO-260B transponder included in SESAR.
(RNAV-1) into their terminal manage- standard is expected to be the same. During the near- and mid-term
ment areas (TMA). timeframes, SESAR and TF5 support
The United States has a large num- Datalink Communications the greater use of expanded RNAV ter-
ber of RNAV and increasing number Europe has taken a more aggressive minal procedures, Continuous Descent
of localizer performance with vertical position on the use of ATC datalink Approaches, Continuous Climb Depar-
guidance (LPV) approach procedures communications. It has established a tures, surface movement safety and
as well as RNP Authorization Required mandate for the use of ATN Control- awareness, and traffic flow manage-
(AR) approach procedures. RNAV, LPV ler Pilot Data Link Communications ment. SESAR also will implement run-
and AR procedures have not evolved (CPDLC) for all new aircraft (forward way occupancy reduction techniques
as quickly in Europe. fit) delivered after Jan. 1, 2011. By and as mentioned earlier, will provide
Another significant challenge in 2015, all aircraft operating in the core for the implementation of datalink ser-
Europe will be coordinating the activi- of Europe will be required to have vices for routine ATC communications.
ties of the European Union member datalink communications capability. The TF5 report places a great deal
States together with neighboring non- The baseline for the data link will be of emphasis on further development
member states. the ATN protocol, however, there are of closely spaced parallel runway pro-
Europe is utilizing an Enhanced provisions to allow the use of FANS- cedures, both arrival and departure.
Mode-S surveillance system to supple- 1/A during a transition period that has Recommendations to FAA in this area
ment its existing secondary surveil- not yet been defined. include changes to current policy to
lance radar (SSR). The U.S. surveil- By Feb. 7, 2013, all state ANSPs par- enable the simultaneous use of RNAV/
lance system is expected to remain ticipating in the Link 2000+ program RNP approaches in parallel operation
primarily SSR-based with a phasing in must have an operationally compliant with ILS procedures, revision of the
of Automatic Dependent Surveillance- ATN data link system ready for use. blunder assumptions that have estab-
Broadcast (ADS-B) capabilities begin- The SESAR implementation plan lished the current minimum runway
ning in 2013 when the ground system and the TF5 recommendations focus separation requirements for simultane-
is expected to be operational. on the initial application of trajectory- ous parallel approach operations and
A European Notice of Proposed based operations, approach and land- changes in policy that would allow
Rulemaking has been issued calling ing operations, surface safety and simultaneous RNAV/RNP departure
for all operators to be equipped with efficiency. Both place emphasis on the procedures without requiring an initial
ADS-B transponders by 2015. An near-term utilization of existing aircraft heading to ensure course divergence.
exemption will be granted for all air- and avionics capabilities and support These are viewed by American
craft weighing less than 12,500 pounds the early use of basic levels of col- operators as having significant opera-
and with a cruise speed of less than laborative decision-making and infor- tional benefits with little or no modifi-
250 knots. This is five years earlier than mation sharing. SESAR also focuses cation to existing aircraft capabilities.
what has been proposed by FAA. Also on continuing research and policy SESAR does not appear to address this
of interest is the fact that the European development for advanced capabilities capability during the near and mid-
notice does not require the same per- beyond the midterm. The TF5 report term time frames.
formance values that are expected to does make recommendations for future In summation, both SESAR and the
RTCA NextGen Mid-Term Implemen-
tation Task Force report address the
European Airlines, Business and GA Join SESAR Program need to expand and improve their
respective air-traffic infrastructures.
The SESAR Joint Undertaking in September signed contracts with several European airlines,
The methodologies differ somewhat
the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and organizations representing business and
as do some of the desired timeframes.
general aviation to participate in the SESAR Development Phase.
The Brussels-based public/private organization, tasked with managing the multi-year Both strive to meet the goals of their
development phase, announced agreements with Air France and its subsidiary Regional, respective user communities and ser-
KLM, Iberia, Lufthansa Group, SAS Scandinavian Airlines, TAP Portugal, Novair and IATA. Also vice providers and both agree that
signing on to the effort were a consortium coordinated by the European Business Aviation interoperability is an essential piece of
Association, including NetJets Europe and Dassault Aviation, and the International Aircraft ensuring success.
Owners and Pilots Association. The TF5 report stresses maximum
“It is essential or even vital for the success of SESAR that the expertise of the airlines is improvements at minimum cost to
integrated as from day one of the development phase,” said Patrick Ky, SESAR JU executive the operators initially, but acknowl-
director. “They will participate and analyze the outcomes of the SESAR projects from techni- edges that changes in equipage will
cal and cost perspectives, which will reinforce the user-driven approach of the future SESAR be needed to further improve the sys-
technologies and procedures.” tem. SESAR places a greater emphasis
The organization said it requires technical support in the areas of flight operations, in on ATM operations and procedure
particular fuel efficiency; flight-planning processes and supporting systems; avionics system
enhancements in the near and mid-
specifications; operations and control processes; data link; aircraft scheduling and network
management; crew training and cost and revenue evaluation.
term and will require the mandate of
Last June, the SESAR JU announced contracts with 16 industry partners, including Thales, upgraded avionics capability (datalink
Honeywell, air navigation service providers, airports, airframers and ground equipment firms. and ADS-B) to achieve some of the
expected improvements.
Connectors
Legacy connectors vie with newer designs for the latest applications
By Barry Rosenberg
T
signals of top-end IFE technology. is most important even when new connec-
he design philosophy of The newer connectors are a better tech- tors are introduced.”
ARINC’s connector working nical fit with modern-day IFE systems, but The people working on gigabit Ether-
groups until recently has trended older-generation connectors remain popu- net standards development at ARINC are
toward new generation connec- lar because they are proven and cost less. also looking at connectors and cables that
tors designed specifically for With additional shielding to prevent inter- combine high-speed data transmission
high-throughput in-flight entertainment ference, the tried and true copper wires with other signals like power currents. The
(IFE) applications. The economic realities running through these connectors can be goal there is to create a manufacturing
of commercial aviation, however, drive pushed to gigabit transmission speeds. and performance standard for connectors
continued interest within the ARINC And since older and newer connectors are that maintain adequate isolation between
groups to standardize older, but already being produced in quantity, the different whatever two (or more) channels are being
proven and less expensive connectors for manufacturers are equally represented carried.
IFE applications, even if their perfor- on standards-setting bodies such as those The technical questions of the con-
mance isn’t up to the capabilities of the lat- within ARINC. nector business remain the same as in the
est IFE systems from Panasonic Avionics,
Thales, Rockwell Collins and others.
That’s created a bit of a push-pull
Photo courtesy Positronic Industries
More Throughput
Emteq RJ45 Ruggedized Connector Like Sandidge, Kerry Stuckart, product
manager for coax cables, connectors and
equipment trays at Emteq, New Berlin,
mechanical and electrical function of the is increased surface engagement and the Wis., believes that bandwidth is the defin-
contact system, and a spring clip provides product doesn’t have to be annealed, which ing factor in connector development today.
more stable mechanical function and could be one of the biggest advantages, “We’re using so much of the electronic
resistance to vibration and corrosion in because that’s another manufacturing step, bandwidth that signals are starting to
aerospace environments. Positronic said which increases costs and adds inspection interfere with themselves,” she said.
greater contact interface is achieved with- criteria.” That’s partially due to the use of prior-
out increased insertion force. Sandidge said the PosiBand concept generation connectors for present-day IFE
“The advantages are that mechanically can be used in D-sub connectors and rect- applications, and because development
it is more robust,” Sandidge said. “There angular connectors, as well as new IFE of aerospace-grade IFE connectors lags
behind those developed for retail electron-
ics, like HDMI connectors for high-defini-
Market Moves tion TV, for instance. The fact that a vari-
ety of connector companies are supplying
Following are some recent developments announced by connector manufacturers. both legacy and now-generation products
➤ Sabritec, of Irvine, Calif., means that “we’re seeing a lot more com-
in December released a series petition in connectors for the IFE market,”
of High Power Connectors said Stuckart.
and Contacts for the aero- Even connector suppliers that don’t
space market. The company currently compete in the aerospace market
said the connectors (left) plan to do so in the near term. An example
utilize Hyperboloid contact is Yokowa America Corp., the U.S. subsid-
technology, and provide iary of a Japanese company that bills itself
high current ratings with smaller contacts for the same power, thus saving overall as the world’s largest spring pin connector
weight and space. Other features of the series include low coupling force; shock manufacturer.
and vibration resistance; operability in harsh environments; reduced contact resis- Naoki Kawata, managing director
tance; increased power handling capability; and improved low-rate of wear and of Yokowa America, and Tommy Tsub-
high coupling durability, the company said. okawa, sales manager for its west coast
➤ Arrow Electronics, based in Melville, N.Y., announced plans in November to division, in an interview said they intended
acquire A.E. Petsche, a wire and cable manufacturer based in Arlington, Texas. to compete in the aerospace connector
Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Arrow Electronics said the market in the next couple years.
deal was designed to expand its footprint in the aerospace and defense markets. “Price is what’s most important for
“This strategic transaction will add to the breadth of Arrow’s customer base connectors in other industries, but in the
and increase our staff of highly experienced sales professionals, while allowing for case of aviation quality is key,” said Tsub-
a variety of cross-selling opportunities with our existing business as well as other okawa. “We’re working to miniaturize
emerging markets,” said Peter T. Kong, president of Arrow Global Components. connector size while creating flexibility
➤ ITT Interconnect Solutions in June released a hermetically sealed connector tailored to customer needs.”
with a lightweight aluminum shell for low-pressure water immersion or fording One way they’re doing that in a connec-
applications. The connector is suited for military and aerospace applications, tor designed for non-aerospace communi-
including integrated avionics, communication and navigation equipment, displays cations is through development of hybrid
and instrumentation, data processing equipment, electronic warfare systems, module connectors. The use of metal injec-
radar and sensors, weapon controls and targeting systems, electronic countermea- tion molding facilitates the manufacture of
sures, radio and telecommunications devices and battery packs. more complex designs such as one Yokowa
➤ Positronic Industries, Springfield, Mo., expanded its power connector line, developed that combines a spring-loaded
adding the Scorpion series. The line is modular, allowing customers to configure pogo connector and a leaf (metal plate)
a power connector for their individual requirements. Power options include 60 connector in a single connection. Tsuboka-
amperes size 8, 40 amperes size 12, and 30 amperes size 16 contacts, with contact wa said that product isn’t necessarily one
resistance values as low as 0.001 ohms. Size 22 signal contacts are also available. that would have aerospace applicability,
➤ Omnetics Connector Corp., based in Minneapolis, in November said its design, except for the design philosophy of doing
production and quality assurance systems were certified to the ISO 9001:2000, more with less and in a small space.
AS9100 Revision B, International Quality System Standard. ISO9001:2000 com- Emteq has noticed a marked increase
bines three standards of 9001, 9002 and 9003 into one and focuses specifically on in hits on its Web site, which Tony Forst,
design and development procedures. applications engineer for coax cable and
The company's quality system was audited and certified by Smithers Quality connectors, attributes to the constant hunt
Assessments Inc., an independent registrar accredited by both the Dutch Council for connectors that are lower in weight,
for Accreditation and the American National Accreditation Body. cost less and/or have better performance.
“We see a lot more engineers research- and reliability, Sandidge said. long-running upgrade program managed
ing new technology,” said Forst. “Ninety Emteq is seeing a demand from the by Boeing.
percent of the hits on our Web site are military for self-locking connectors as a
engineers looking for new products and replacement for connectors with safety Avionics Magazine’s Product Focus is a
trying to find what’s out there.” wire (which keeps a pair of threaded monthly feature that examines some of the
Forst said he’s noticed that younger connectors from loosening over time). latest trends in different market segments
engineers, those fairly new to the indus- The company is providing these type of the avionics industry. It does not repre-
try, spend more time searching for new of connectors in quantity for the C-130 sent a comprehensive survey of all compa-
technologies, as opposed to engineers Avionics Modernization Program, the nies and products in these markets.
more established in their jobs who might
Antennas &
be more willing to “use what’s always
been in the drawings.”
Static
If they’re engineers working on a busi-
ness jet, performance is likely their num-
Dischargers
ber one criteria, because of the “home
entertainment center in the sky” nature
of cabin furnishings. In that category,
silver contacts trump zinc, and gold con-
tacts trump silver. If they’re working in
commercial aviation, price is the defining Dayton-Granger manufactures a
element. “The airframers have seen their complete line of top quality
production slashed, and are shifting their aircraft antennas and static
focus to weight reduction programs,” said dischargers for military,
Stuckart. “They might be willing to pay airline, business and general
more than in the past to save weight. aviation aircraft.
The commercial airline industry
wants weight reduction, and the connec-
tor industry is responding with an evolv-
ing product list.
“Today we tend to produce a lot of
products that take weight out of the air-
craft,” said Sandidge. “To do that, you
use one metal instead of another, such as
aluminum versus zinc, which gives you When you want top performance and long,
weight savings out of the gate but with trouble free service life, rely on the
something that is mechanically identical.” industry leader, DAYTON-GRANGER.
Positronic Industries is getting more
Tel: (954) 463-3451
requests for connectors that can hold
Fax: (954) 761-3172
more signal pins without the shell becom-
www.daytongranger.com
ing larger, or for 22 gauge wire instead of
sales@daytongranger.com
20 gauge, but with the same performance
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T: 972-713-6494
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B>A"8"'+)-'!B>A"8"'+*%%!B>A"8"(-...! E-mail: kreinhart@accessintel.com
B>A"8"(.%&'!B>A"8"(.%'.!B>A"8"-&*&&!
B>A"8"-&+*.!B>A">"-&.+.!B>A"8"-(,'(! Joe Milroy
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6G>C8+%% Eastern U.S. & Canada
T: 215-598-0933
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James McAuley
International
T: +34 952 118018
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Sabritec’s High Power connectors utilize the superior performing Hyperboloid® contact technology, ideal for harsh and
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