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Aviation History
2003
2003 - 1533.PDF
BUSINESS & CORPORATE AVIATION FINALIST IAI/ELTA SYSTEMS ACHIEVEMENT: Hight Guard A sign of the times is the appearance of Flight Guard, IAI/Elta Systems' missile protection system, as a finalist in the Business & Corporate Aviation category. The heightened threat of terrorism to civil aviation was demonstrated by the November 2002 attack on an Arkia Boeing 757 as it took off from Mombassa International Airport in Kenya. The shoulder-launched anti aircraft missiles missed their target, but the attempt prompted an Israeli deci sion to equip its civilian passenger aircraft with Flight Guard. Certification is now under way. Developed initially by Elta Systems - a wholly-owned subsidiary of IAI - for military fixed and rotary wing aircraft, and now configured for civilian trans ports, Flight Guard is quickly installed. The military version already protects more than 150 aircraft, including VIP flights operated for several heads of state. Flight Guard's ability to protect an aircraft from incoming heat-seeking missiles has been proven on many occa sions, and has resulted in the saving hundreds of crew and passenger lives. The system features an extremely high probability of detection and a very low false alarm rate. When its sophisticated radar detects approaching missiles, the system auto matically assesses the threat as well as activating advanced countermeasures. Flight Guard uses special environmen tally-safe flares capable of diverting most heat seeking missile types. It is also the only self-protection system that has operated successfully against a multiple attack. Prior to the attempted attack in Kenya, Elta representatives had met with US Federal Aviation Administration officials to brief them on Flight Guard and to examine the process for certificating the use of Flight Guard installed on American registered civil aircraft. With many international airlines now exploring the use of anti-missile self- protection systems, the electronic warfare industry is gearing its capabilities to serve the public interest. With Flight Guard, Elta Systems is in the vanguard, putting classified military systems to use for the protection of civil aviation. FINALIST ROCKWELL COLLINS ACHIEVEMENT: Pro Line 21 Continuum Rockwell Collins emphasises "thoughtfiil integration" of technology with its Pro Line 21 Continuum system As airspace becomes more congested, inevitably the demands on operators increase. Air traffic management organ isations are identifying specific needs and developing plans to meet future requirements. The challenges for avionics manufac turers are to address the airspace demands while providing operators with the information they need, when they need it, in a user-friendly format. Rockwell Collins has risen to the challenge with its Pro Line 21 Continuum, a system designed to bring 21st century functionality to existing aircraft through "thoughtful integra tion" of the latest technologies and capabilities. A winner last year in the air trans port category for its Synthetic Vision Information System, Rockwell Collins has gained US Federal Aviation Administration certification on nine aircraft types for its new system. Collins Pro Line 21 Continuum allows operators to select a level of capabilities while maximising lifecycle cost improvements. The advanced avionics may be applied in several flight deck configu rations, either as integrated systems or individual products. Fully inte grated Pro Line 21 Continuum systems feature ten 20cm (8in) LCD Adaptive Flight Displays, the Collins FMS-6000 Flight Management System, AHS-3000 Attitude Heading Reference System, TCAS-4000 Traffic Alert Collision Avoidance System, and TWR-850 Turbulence-detection Weather Radar, and Collins Pro Line radio sensors. The system also addresses issues of performance and pilot workload with capabilities including data communica tions, enhanced mapping, electronic charting, improved terrain awareness and real-time graphical weather. The Pro Line 21 Continuum open systems architecture uses industry-stan dard interfaces to allow for integration of best-in-class products. In addition, new levels of functionality are now technically feasible to help reduce pilot workload and improve overall flight deck effectiveness. Applying the latest avionics tech nologies, Collins Pro Line 21 Continuum extends the life of many of today's most popular aircraft by providing the capabilities and evolu tionary paths to operate effectively and efficiently for years to come. 7
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