Military

BAE SYSTEMS selected for Avionics redesign on Air force C-17 Globemaster III

23 Jul 2002

BAE Systems Controls has received a $26.2 million contract from Boeing Aircraft & Missile Systems for redesign of System Controllers and Cockpit Indicators (SCCI) for the C-17 Globemaster III. The SCCI redesign will address issues with parts obsolescence, improve reliability, and increase aircraft functionality.

The contract calls for redesign of 12 of the 15 line-replaceable units (LRUs) that comprise an SCCI shipset and delivery of development hardware. Scheduled to conclude in late 2004, the development work is expected to be followed by production orders to support a potential Air Force order for 60 C-17s beyond the 120 currently in production.

"We are extremely pleased to extend our participation on the C-17 and to contribute to these important enhancements to the aircraft," said James Scanlon, Controls president. With four subsystems on the aircraft, BAE Systems Controls is the largest avionics provider on the Globemaster, Scanlon observed, "and we are proud to work with Boeing to field an aircraft that provides even greater functionality to the Air Force."

Controls has been on contract to build the System Controllers and Cockpit Indicators - devices that detect, control, and provide crew interfaces for the environmental, electrical, hydraulic, auxiliary power, fuel, cargo delivery, and other aircraft systems - since 2000. Under the redesign contract, many of the existing parts will be replaced to address parts-obsolescence issues.

In addition, some of the LRUs will be redesigned to allow for reprogramming of application software without removal of the LRUs from the aircraft. Other LRUs will undergo redesign to provide enhanced protection against electrical-system faults.

The SCCI is one of four subsystems Controls produces for the C-17. The company also provides the Globemaster's Electronic Flight Control System, a fly-by-wire vehicle control system with an integrated autopilot; the Core Integrated Processor, a central mission computer that manages the airplane's avionics and digital navigation system; and the Video Integrated Processor, a high-speed computer that supports the vehicle's tactical terrain warning system.

The C-17 Globemaster III is the newest, most flexible cargo aircraft to enter the Air Force's airlift force. Capable of rapid strategic delivery of troops and all types of cargo and of performing tactical airlift and airdrop missions, it has been involved in numerous contingency operations, including those in Bosnia, Kosovo, and Afghanistan. In the war on terrorism, C-17s have flown more than 200 humanitarian missions and hundreds of missions carrying troops and equipment to Afghanistan and neighboring countries.