Wed, Feb 10, 2010
In All, 26 Airplanes To Be Updated
The French Ministry of Defense has picked Daher-Socata for an
avionics renovation and associated upgrade services on a majority
of the TBM 700s in service in the French Armed Forces, the company
announced Monday.
File Photo
This contract, awarded by the country’s DGA military
procurement agency, covers the modernization of 14 French Air Force
TBM 700As, seven TBM 700As and three TBM 700Bs of the French Army
Aviation, along with two TBM 700As of the country’s CEV
Flight Test Center. The work involves the supply and installation
of a full Garmin G1000 avionics suite, including a GFC 700 fully
digital autopilot.
The transformation will upgrade all 26 TBM 700s – of which
certain older aircraft are still equipped with electro-mechanical
instruments – to the avionics standard of
Daher-Socata’s current-production TBM 850. This modernization
will meet civilian airworthiness standards, and is to be
certified by the European Aviation Safety Authority (EASA) –
easing the integration of these aircraft in the international air
traffic system.
The contract also includes the following services linked to the
modification:
- Installation of the Iaero-supplied Apibox Flight Data Recorder
system on all aircraft.
- Replacement of the Emergency Locator Transmitter by a compact
Artex ME406.
- Weather radar replacement and stormscope installation.
- Upgrade of passenger cabin outfitting.
- Training of pilots and engineers training on the new avionics
systems.
The work will start with the
modification of a civilian prototype in April, followed by
transformation of the first military TBM 700 in August. The final
aircraft is expected to be completed in June 2014. “Our
selection for this work represents another commercial success for
Daher-Socata’s growing customer services offering,”
commented Nicolas Chabbert, Senior Vice-President of the
Daher-Socata Airplane Division. “It confirms the excellent
price-to-quality ratio of our maintenance and avionics retrofit
solutions that can be provided for government, corporate and
private operators.
Chabbert added that the new avionics systems will enhance the
French military TBM 700 fleet’s operational capability, while
also improving flight safety by easing the crew’s
workload.
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