CMC Electronics' Integrated Cockpit on Display in Raytheon Aircraft Company's Beechcraft T-6B Next-Generation Trainer
(Farnborough International Airshow - July 17, 2006) CMC Electronics' Integrated Cockpit is on display in Raytheon Aircraft Company's Beechcraft T6-B next-generation trainer at this year's Farnborough Airshow. CMC Electronics was recently awarded a contract by Raytheon Aircraft Company as the prime contractor for the Avionics Systems Integration of the Beechcraft T-6B military trainer aircraft. The Beechcraft T-6B is an evolutionary trainer aircraft based on the T-6A Texan II, a tandem cockpit, turboprop trainer aircraft used by the U.S. Air Force for basic pilot training and by the U.S. Navy for Primary and Intermediate Joint Naval Flight Officer and Air Force Navigator / Weapons Systems Officer training.
"The Beechcraft T-6B training system gives us the opportunity to combine the latest cockpit management concepts with the features and high-performance characteristics of an advanced turboprop trainer aircraft," said Jean-Michel Comtois, Vice President, Military Aviation, CMC Electronics.
The aircraft's integrated avionics suite consists of dual CMC Electronics Integrated Avionics Computers (IAC), a SparrowHawk™ Head Up Display (HUD), Stores Management and Multifunction Displays (MFDs). The Integrated Avionics Computer is a rugged, military qualified mission system that uses a 1 GHz (or greater) G4 PowerPC Processor and CompactPCI/PMC modules. The HUD and the six Multifunction Displays in the front and rear cockpits are driven directly from the IAC, thereby providing a powerful and flexible architecture for the centralized display and control of navigation and mission data, including the primary flight display, digital maps, tactical maps, stores management, and engine and caution warning data. The centralized control provided by the IAC allows navigation, mission and communication functions to be controlled from the Up Front Control Panel (UFCP) and Hands On Throttle And Stick (HOTAS). As a result, cockpit management is greatly simplified.
"Our approach to cockpit avionics integration results in reduced costs and increased reliability in the cockpit. This narrows the training gap between the trainer aircraft and the operational aircraft of the 21st century," Comtois said. He added: "With an open architecture mission system at the heart of the avionics, we can provide the Beechcraft T-6B with a powerful training package that includes simulated weapon delivery capabilities and can easily accommodate upgrades such as embedded ACMI with virtual radar and EW simulation. The open architecture feature facilitates growth and protects against obsolescence."
Raytheon Aircraft Company designs, manufactures, markets and supports Beechcraft and Hawker aircraft for the world's commercial and military markets.
CMC Electronics has earned an international reputation for the design and production of innovative, highly reliable military and commercial electronics products for the aviation and global positioning markets. Systems integration, advanced avionics, navigation and communications systems, and human factors engineering services are the basis for the company's long-standing relationship with the armed forces of Canada, the United States and a host of other countries.
CMC Electronics' principal locations are in Montreal, Quebec; Ottawa, Ontario; and Chicago, IL. CMC Electronics is a private company controlled by an investor group led by ONCAP L.P. ONCAP is a CDN $400 million investment fund established by Onex Corporation and a number of leading Canadian financial institutions. Onex is a diversified company with annual consolidated revenues of approximately CDN $16 billion and consolidated assets of approximately CDN $14 billion. Onex is one of Canada's largest companies with global operations in the service, manufacturing and technology industries.
Contact
Mrs. Janka Dvornik
Communications and Public Relations Manager
Farnborough Hall 4 Booth # C16
Telephone: (514) 748-3113
Cell: (514) 995-2357
E-Mail: Janka.Dvornik@cmcelectronics.ca
Mr. Iain Wilkes
Director, Military Aviation
Farnborough Hall 4 Booth # C16
Cell: (613) 797-8954
E-Mail: Iain.Wilkes@cmcelectronics..ca