Analog Instruments Will Be Replaced With COTS System From
Honeywell
ASB Avionics LLC (ASB) under contract with the University
Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) is performing
ASB’s FAA Certified, Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS),
Avionics Modernization Program (AMP) on National Center for
Atmospheric Research’s (NCAR) EC-130Q research aircraft.
The ASB AMP is centered on the 5-display Honeywell Control
Display System for Retrofit (CDS/R) Electronic Flight Instrument
System/Automatic Flight Control System (EFIS/AFCS), triple Micro
Inertial Reference Sensors (ìIRS), triple Flight Management
System (FMS), dual Global Positioning System receivers (GPS), an
ASB developed Engine Indicating and Crew Alerting System (EICAS),
and Dual Communication/Navigation/Surveillance systems (CNS).
The ASB AMP replaces all existing analog flight director,
altimetric, and engine displays, autopilot and flight director
components, and existing CNS components, substantially reducing
Line Replaceable Unit (LRU) and wire count. The high Mean Time
Between Failure (MTBF), low acquisition costs, and auto-flight
characteristic improvements help in reducing Life Cycle Costs (LCC)
and improving functionality, safety, and useful life of the NCAR
EC-130Q airframe.
ASB’s COTS AMP includes dual digital Air Data Computers
(ADC), TCAS-II, EGPWS, integration of the existing C-Band radar,
and replaces the existing pitot/static sensors. Also included are
Advanced File Graphics Servers (AFGS) and dorsal mounted HF Shunt
Antenna. The flexible architecture of the CDS/R-AFCS allows for
future growth to accommodate changes in civil or Government air
operating regulations.
The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) based in
Bolder, CO, conducts collaborative research in atmospheric and
Earth system science, and provides a broad array of tools and
technologies to the scientific community, including research,
supercomputers, and instrumented aircraft and observing systems.
The NCAR EC-130Q Hercules aircraft supports observational research
studies of atmospheric chemistry, cloud physics, mesoscale
meteorology, boundary-layer dynamics, air-sea interactions,
oceanography, and other fields within the atmospheric sciences. The
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR),
also based in Bolder, promotes partnership in a collaborative
community dedicated to understanding the atmosphere and the complex
processes that make up the Earth system, from the ocean floor to
the Sun's core. The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
manages the National Center for Atmospheric Research under
sponsorship by the National Science Foundation.