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Mako Cockpit Demonstrator: The new approach for cockpit development and simulation

Singapore/Munich, 01 February 2002

The Mako cockpit demonstrator is one of the prime exhibits of EADS European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company Military Aircraft for the Asian Aerospace Air Show 2002. Built in only five months and displayed at last year's Paris Air Show for the first time, the demonstrator is designed to fulfill two major tasks. The first is to support the marketing activities by highlighting the special characteristics and capabilities of the Mako aircraft family both for the trainer aircraft and for the light combat aircraft. In particular, it is an ideal tool to illustrate the potential of the aircraft as the vital part of the Integrated Training System as Advanced Trainer/ Lead In Fighter Trainer, and in its role as Light Combat Aircraft for Defensive Counter Air and Battlefield Air Interdiction missions.

The second but not lesser important objective for the Mako cockpit demonstrator is to support the weapon system and equipment development, especially re-garding the human machine interface (HMI), and the flight control system.

The demonstrator represents the current stage of cockpit development and will be upgraded regularily. For Dubai, the following improvements have been implemented: optimized ergonomics, software up-date and enhanced functionality, e.g., in the high angle-of-attack flight regime and the auto trim capability. The demonstrator is separable in a front and rear cockpit. Both cockpits can be operated and flown either in a stand-alone configuration or in conjunction in the student/ instructor pilot configuration in corre-lated databases. It can also be controlled from a hand held device.

The front cockpit is a state-of-the art manned simulation cockpit equipped with stick, throttle, HUD, multifunction displays, buttons and switches to allow air-craft in-flight and weapon system simulation. The use of Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) equipment is maximised, nevertheless equipment of Mako candidate partners is included like Martin Baker or Goodrich for ejection seats, BAE Systems Controls for sticks and throttles, and Essex Industries for grips.

The objective of the front-cockpit is:

* to present the current stage of cockpit development to the customer
* flight mechanical assessments in the dome simulation for flight control law development at EADS
* human-machine interface and display format development.

The rear cockpit of the Mako cockpit demonstrator is based on virtual reality (VR) technology and therefore is - in terms of conventional hardware - only equipped with stick and throttle. The VR equipment consists of a data helmet, a pair of data gloves, and a tracking system connected to a central computer. The out-of-the-cockpit view and the cockpit layout itself are projected in the data helmet, interaction with the cockpit is via the data gloves. A plasma monitor is provided to show the VR picture in the data helmet to other visitors. A special feature of this VR cockpit is its ability not only to display different cockpit layouts, but also to interact with the cockpit and fly real-time within a virtual environment. For Dubai, a Helmet Mounted Display has been integrated in the VR.

The objective of the rear cockpit is:

* to present layout options to the customers
* to support human-machine interface development in the EADS-M virtual reality lab
* to demonstrate Virtual Reality (VR) as an efficient tool for cockpit development,
* to present the possible technological evolution in cockpit design

Current VR Lay-out Types

In the configuration displayed at Dubai, four different VR lay-outs are available. The first is the Mako basic lay-out according to the current state of the cockpit development. The second is a lay-out with three larger displays (e.g. 12 inch diagonal) and HUD, closely related to the basic lay-out. Another version is a layout with two large displays (e.g. 14 inch diagonal), a small display on the middle console and a innovative laser HUD. The last variant features a rear cockpit with 10 inch displays and a HUD repeater.

Technical details:

Combined length of both cockpits is 7.7 metres.

The highly detailed flight simulation model features the current unclassified flight control system standard. It consists of models for the aircraft's six degrees of freedom, aerodynamics, mass, atmospheric and environmental data, sensors, hydraulics, actuation system, engine and landing gear.

The simulation modings and formats include engine, fuel, hydraulics and primary flight display, attack and identification, radar and armament control, connected to a sophisticated weapon system model.

It is possible to fly in different preset scenarios with cooperating and non-cooperating aircraft.

An identical source code, in terms of displays exists for both front and rear cockpits.

The displays and the sound system are driven by Linux-PCs.

The simulation cockpit is networking and interfacing via CAN-BUS. The visual system is a one-channel Harmony system from Evans & Sutherland, similar to the new visual system of the dome simulation facility at EADS Military Aircraft in Munich/Ottobrunn.

With revenues amounting to EUR 30.8 billion and a work-force of 103,000, EADS European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company is the largest European aerospace company and the No 2 worldwide. It is active in the sectors of commercial aircraft, helicopters, space, military transport and combat aircraft as well as defence technology and services. Among others, EADS holds 80 percent of Airbus, 75 per cent of the space company Astrium, 100 percent of the helicopter manufacturer Eurocopter, 43 percent in the Eurofighter programme and 37,5 percent in the missile company MBDA.

Your contact:

Military Aircraft
Wolfram Wolff
Phone: ++49-89-607 25711
Fax: ++49-89-607 22455
e-mail: wolfram.wolff@m.eads.net