Sat, Mar 30, 2024
Badger Pro+ System Provides Beating Heart for Bell's Brand New Flight Decks
A recent addition to the Bell Textron catalog has given Astronautics a rare moment in the spotlight, with their equipment included in the new BasiX-Pro Glass Cockpit Retrofit Kit for the 412EP helicopter.
Astronautics Corporation provides their Badger Pro+ unit, an integrated flight display system that comes as part of a whole-panel upgrade to retrofit existing Bell 412EPs to the same flight deck seen on brand-new aircraft. The upgrade gained its supplemental type certificate earlier this year, and can now be installed on all 412EPs with a PT6T-3D engine. The BasiX-Pro kit joins the manufacturer's catalog of options and retrofit parts for legacy aircraft owners, offering the brand's backing and approval for an all-in-one, streamlined installation.
Astronautics got to brag about their Badger Pro+ displays, since the BasiX-Pro includes 4 of the 6" x 8" displays. They come together with a control panel and engine data acquisition unit for a very well polished, unified presentation granting all the info and flight data one expects from modern, cutting-edge avionics. All the usual functions for situational awareness, mapping, and engine data are present, but in typical helicopter fashion they also handle external video feeds, with support for multiple HD digital video inputs, HTAWS, and data recording present. Combine that with a 2-second power time, ITAR-free NVG compatibility, and full screen video presentation and it makes for a very nice upgrade for 412EP operators still staring at gauges today. The Badger Pro+ is meant for working birds.
“Astronautics is pleased to enable Bell’s ongoing mission of improving performance, reliability, and supportability for their medium-sized helicopter customers with our Badger Pro+ system,” said Eyton Zelazo, Astronautics’ director of displays and cockpit integration. “The Bell BasiX-Pro Glass Cockpit Retrofit Kit will provide Bell 412EP operators with modern flight-deck technology to improve situational awareness and decrease pilot workload, while also offering the same look and feel of a new production Bell 412 cockpit.”
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