Aircraft Maintenance Technology - 18

TECH SPOTL IGHT

integrating additional functionality in single systems," Bries said.
Vamsi Gundluru, senior director of offering management, cockpit systems, of Honeywell Aerospace
added that, "the commercial operators always ask
for more reliable, cheaper and lighter systems. In the
last few years, connectivity and security are increasingly important for commercial operators, as well,"
he continued.
Honeywell has a long history of deploying maintenance systems to airplanes, starting in early 90s and
Gundluru said in that time they have seen an increase
in those system capabilities and aircraft systems coverage; going from being non-existent to being required
across the industry and defense sector.
"Initially, the system was focused on simple fault
isolation of electronic systems that were starting to
be used in airplanes. Today, all the systems onboard an
airplane have electronics and software and, all of them
communicate with the onboard health management

A technician works
on wiring.

JUNE/JULY 2020

system. As we move forward and technology evolves,
we will have access to more information about the systems and there will be more sensors in the aircraft,
allowing for better fault isolation. In addition, we have
been developing new features for our system, looking
at future needs in areas such as urban air mobility,"
Gundluru said.
At Collins, Bries said commercial operators demand
high-reliability products and also want better technology in terms of the product offering, such as digital

communication, high bandwidth, more tightly correlated navigation and traffic applications that allow
for condensed operational efficiency. "Minimizing
unscheduled removals and spares inventory continue
to be areas of focus. Also, predictable maintenance is
a must," he added.
Bries said that some of Collins' current investments
involve improving navigation with their new multimode receiver (MMR) for Global Navigation Satellite
System, delivering more integration of function, higher
availability and improved navigational performance.
The company also continues to update their communication products and are currently developing
a better high-frequency radio product, as well as the
next generation of Iridium Satellite communication
solutions. And within Collins' vision systems product
line, their Enhanced Vision System camera will come
to market this year.
"With regard to the new MMR, Collins has been
a leader in GNSS solutions for more than 30 years.
The VHF Omnidirectional (VOR) function is now
embedded in the product and it is also SBAS LPV
compliant, meets all current standards and is software upgradeable to all future standards," Bries
elaborated. "To address customers' needs for higher
data rates, the new communication products deliver
a more digital solution with higher communication
bandwidth. Our Enhanced Vision System provides
lower landing minima by delivering better visual
acuity to the pilot in difficult weather and visually-obscure scenarios. It is more aerodynamic and
provides more visual spectrum than other products
previously in the market."
Data security, Gundluru said, is one of the main
trends that they are seeing in the avionics market.
"The main trends we are observing are related to
data security, task automation, remote access to the
airplane to check status, collect data and send data.
Another trend is the 'electrification' of mechanical
systems, that will have profound influence in aircraft
design in the future," said Gundluru.
Bries added that efficiency continues to be a driving
factor. "Customers are very focused on driving efficiency in their operations. The latest announcements
have been around moving to more efficient aircraft,
reducing turn times, adding inflight efficiencies and
removing all barriers that inhibit on-time completion
of missions," he said.
One of the ways that Colins has optimized their
system is through maintenance.
"The majority of Collins Aerospace avionics systems have dedicated onboard maintenance systems/
functions that provide notifications and alerts when

AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY

Aircraft Maintenance Technology

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Aircraft Maintenance Technology