Aviation Daily article: Thales 'Connected Cockpit' FMS Selected By Airbus
On May 6 2022, Aviation Daily, the Aviation Week Intelligence Network (AWIN) Market Briefing, ran this article penned by Guy Norris focusing on the recent selection by Airbus of Thales’s PureFlyt next-generation flight management system.
The article, which can be viewed online by clicking here, has been reproduced in full below courtesy of Guy Norris and Aviation Daily/Aviation Week Intelligence Network.
Thales’ PureFlyt next-generation flight management system (FMS) has been selected by Airbus for its commercial airliner series, representing a key breakthrough for the European avionics maker.
Developed for application in the A220, A320 and A350, the FMS is targeted at entry-into-service by the end of 2026 and marks the start of a long-planned transition to the concept of a connected?cockpit?in which the crew have access to open-world data in real time.
“With this new generation we are going to provide not only a superior flight management system per se, but also a means of fusing together all the processing data on the FMS and the aircraft, with the huge stream of data coming from the open world,” says Jean-Paul Ebanga, VP of Flight Avionics for?Thales.?“It will enable the industry to save costs, optimize routes and become greener while changing the way the pilot will operate with more efficient solutions.”
Ebanga described the selection as a “big deal” for Airbus, saying it is a “defining moment, not only for us, but for the aerospace industry.”
“[Airbus is] leading the way in introducing this new generation of flight management systems as they did when they introduced fly-by-wire for the first time,” Ebanga says. “It’s also a very big move for us because it’s a testament to Thales’ capabilities on such a critical system.”
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The system, which was first announced by?Thales?in 2019, is under development at the company’s research centers in France?including systems and hardware work on an A350 flight deck test bench in Bordeaux and software design in Toulouse. Over the next four years “we are going to develop, qualify and certify the product and be ready to roll it out into production,” says Ebanga. “We are also going to provide Airbus the capability to upgrade the existing fleet,” though he adds that this phase will be focused on the second half of the decade.?
Thales?says, “by linking the new FMS with non-avionics systems?such as the pilot’s Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) and airline operational control centers?the solution makes it quicker and easier to analyze flight plan revisions, providing the pilot with the best route and simplifying interaction with air traffic control.” The manufacturer adds that the extended FMS “will help to ease airport congestion, cut fuel consumption, decrease noise pollution and reduce pilot workload.”
Initial basic functions will include the ability to update flight plans enroute. Crews will first simulate the change on an EFB tablet before requesting approval from air traffic control via voice communications or data link. If the modified routing is approved, the crew will send the new flight plan to the FMS from the wired tablet. Further steps beyond this will include automatic pre-checking by air traffic of flight plan changes via Satcom.?
Thales?says the FMS will include navigation and performance databases for precise calculation of optimal flight paths and flight times. “Airbus’s choice of a system that is compatible with all its aircraft will enhance fleet interoperability for airlines and make it easier for pilots to make the transition from one Airbus aircraft type to another,” the company says.
The avionics maker says the FMS is being developed with the required level of cybersecurity as the system prompts the pilot to authorize every connection, indicating where it comes from. The FMS is also designed to develop flightpaths that avoid terrain while taking aircraft performance into account. The system will also be designed to merge data from the onboard weather radar with open-world weather updates.