Managing change through roadmapping [changes in aviation electronics]

Presently the USAF is operating with 90 different Model Design Series (MDS) aircraft. The 90 MDS aircraft make up a total of 5778 airframes, each with a different number of Line Replaceable Units (LRUs) which make up the avionics systems. Some of the MDSs have as few as 53 avionics LRUs while others as many as 495. The total dollar value of the USAF aircraft avionics LRUs is approximately $42.4B and $30.68B in spares. Depot repairable cost to maintain these components each year is approximately $1.2B. Each MDS is assigned specific missions and the avionics systems are developed to support those missions. Due to the evolution of mission types and user needs, change is constant for the avionics manager.     

基于效能的先进战斗机航电系统动态重构方法

为满足未来先进战斗机全战斗过程的对敌压制能力需求，分析了作战任务与航电系统支持能力间的关系，建立了"作战任务-航电能力-资源需求"间的关系矩阵和航电系统效能模型；以最大化全飞行阶段航电功能整体效能和飞行安全为目标设计了针对不同作战场景的航电系统动态重构策略及重构流程；通过数值分析，对比了动态重构航电系统与静态配置航电系统在不同作战区边界的效能，表明动态重构特性能有效提高战斗机各阶段的作战效能，提高有限资源条件下的阶段优势。     

Data link communication equipment approved by USAF for civil air traffic control

Operations within civil airspace will transition from traditional ground-based air traffic control (ATC) to air traffic management (ATM), a concept that requires aircrews and ground managers to share responsibility of aircraft separation assurance. Increased levels of information exchange will be necessary for this concept to work safely; therefore, air-ground communications will transition from voice to data link communications. The nature of data link communications procurement requires that avionics suppliers not only verify their products meet contractual performance requirements, but also demonstrate that their products are compatible with civil communication networks and ATC. In addition, the USAF needs to demonstrate that their crew-training program is adequate to maintain the required level of aircrew proficiency and equipment can be maintained for the required level of system performance, integrity, and interoperability with the civil environment. This paper outlines some of the certification issues facing the USAF with respect to the "Approval for Use" of data link equipment to be used for communication with ATC. It will also suggest a methodology for the avionics supplier and USAF to obtain the approvals required to ensure the installation of data link communications equipment on military aircraft will remain interoperable with civil ATC.     

Firewire in modern integrated military avionics

High performance communications, navigation, and identification (CNI) functions on modern military aircraft are increasingly required for mission readiness. The operation of simultaneous waveforms through an integrated avionics rack of shared resources becomes a test in moving data rapidly from one signal processing stage to the next. The IEEE 1394, or Firewire, is a commercial high bandwidth bus whose 64-bit addressing and maximum 400 Mbits/second throughput satisfies this demanding military avionics interconnect need. The challenge in applying this commercial product to integrated avionics is the requirement to seamlessly add message priority encoding. By having message priorities, the slower strategic communications links will not impair the performance of higher data rate tactical communications, thereby avoiding potentially life-threatening bottlenecks. The flight environment imposes additional challenges to ruggedize the cabling between integrated avionics racks and to utilize the full capabilities of the Firewire bus. A discussion of the physical, data link, network, and transport layers, as used in avionics applications will be done. Additionally, the versatility of 1394 in military avionics with its variable channel sizes, bandwidth on demand, hierarchical addressing, and upgrade to 800 and 1600 Mbps with a 64-bit wide data path, is emphasized. Finally, system maintenance advantages of 1394's hot pluggable features are discussed, with an eye toward cost reduction on the flight line and total operational time of the aircraft avionics systems     

Open system concepts for modular avionics

Advanced communications, guidance and navigation systems play key roles in determining superiority of one combat aircraft over another. The use of advanced technology is essential to meeting the mission requirements of present as well as future aircraft. Modular avionics are being used in next generation aircraft, such as the Air Force F-22 fighter and the Army Comanche helicopter, as the means of achieving higher levels of performance, including reduced volume and improved adaptability, maintainability, and expandability. New system acquisitions such as Joint Strike Fighter will attempt to achieve these same performance levels but at dramatically reduced life cycle cost. Retrofit applications will also take on increasing roles in meeting this affordability need as the Department of Defense (DoD) struggles to maintain readiness in the face of the shrinking defense budget. The government is encouraging the use of open standards practices as a means of addressing the affordability issue. The Open Systems Joint Task Force (OS-JTF), formed in September 1994, is chartered to “sponsor and accelerate the adoption of open systems in weapons systems and subsystem electronics to reduce life-cycle costs and facilitate effective weapon system intra- and interoperability”. The purpose of this paper is to relate the concept of open systems to modular avionics. It discusses the key attributes of an open systems approach and identifies key technologies necessary for its success     

Improving Avionics Fiber Optic Network Reliability & Maintainability

Work is ongoing at NAVAIR to understand how avionics fiber optic BIT technology can help reduce military aviation platform fiber optic network life cycle and total ownership cost. Operational availability enhancements via comprehensive supportability programs combined with keen attentiveness to reliability and maintainability metrics are driving the avionics fiber optic BIT value proposition. Avionics fiber optic BIT technology is expected to reduce failure rate and mean time to repair by predicting link failure before link failure actually occurs, running post-maintenance stress screening upon aircraft start-up, improving fault isolation by reducing the troubleshooting ambiguity zone from three to one, and reducing the need for separate support equipment for system troubleshooting     

Aging avionics: the problems and the challenges

Aging avionics have become a problem because aircraft are being kept in service far longer than the original plan. This paper discusses the four key problems of aging avionics: (1) determining the systems that are the high cost drivers in order to select those that should receive priority; (2) determining the requirements for the replacement; (3) identifying alternative technologies that will satisfy the requirements and are affordable; and (4) determining the funding required and acquiring the funding needed to replace the aging avionics. Challenges encountered in solving these problems include management and technical. The problem of aging avionics is not limited to a single aircraft, but occurs across all aircraft. Cost-effective modernization requires cutting horizontally across all aging aircraft, and coordination with the end users and the existing management structure. A key technical challenge is to select an architecture that is upgradeable since the funding limitations may ensure parts will become obsolete prior to the completion of a drawn-out production.     

How to See the Forest for the Trees (The Requirements Definition Process)

This paper addresses the avionics requirements definition process, at the conceptual level, in light of changing threats, technology, and business environments. The objective is to provide a perspective of total integrated system performance which illuminates broad requirements issues rather than specific subsystem specifications. The fundamental premise is that avionics requirements are driven by four factors; Information and Data Sources, Control Opportunities and Information Needs, Concepts and Algorithmic Techniques, and Realization Technologies. These four factors are set in a systems structure which shows their inter-relationships and provides the framework for conceptualizing avionics system solutions to meet particular mission needs. Three generic mission areas are considered and an examination is made of the issues of fielding and affording the solution with specific emphasis on architecture, fusion, production, and support.     

New ATC requirements phasing in preparation for the C-17 GATM/NAV safety functions to meet civil requirements

For the next 10 years new worldwide communication, navigation, and surveillance (CNS) requirements are being incrementally imposed upon commercial aircraft avionics, and upon the Air Traffic Control community, by the Aviation Administrations of most nations, including the FAA and the JAA. These requirements are the result of a decade of study by the United Nations' International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to improve aviation safety and efficiency. In 2001, the USAF mandated compliance to the CNS requirements for its military aircraft, which is called Navigation Safety/Global Air Traffic Management (NS/GATM) by the USAF. By complying with these requirements, the C-17 will maintain its ability to fly internationally without CNS restrictions, such as requiring special handling. The Phase I study reported herein is the first phase of a three-phase study effort that will result in the C-17 achieving NS/GATM compliance for a specific set of NS/CNS requirements.     

Shared technologies: a new roadmap

The long-term goal of the USAF Shared Technologies Program is to facilitate the development of a roadmap for technology insertion on the wide variety of legacy Automatic Test Equipment (ATE) accumulated by the USAF over the past 30 years. A successful roadmap will provide for Operation & Support (O&S) cost reduction, preserve Test Program Set (TPS) development investments, and evolve in concert with the DoD Executive Agent for Automatic Test Systems (ATS) initiatives and commercial industry, and (e.g., NxTest) changes. The near-term objective of this phase of the USAF Shared Technologies Program is to demonstrate the feasibility of incorporating available commercial technology into the Radio Frequency (RF) Mobile Electronic Test Set (RFMETS). The RFMETS was originally delivered to the USAF during the early 1990s and is used to support a variety of C-130 avionics including the APQ-170 and APQ-180 Radar Systems.     

航空电子系统地面试验中测试系统的综合化、通用化设计

测试系统作为航空电子系统地面试验中的重要设备,为系统试验提供了自动化、数字化的科学手段和结果分析依据。以往的测试系统都是根据具体型号研制的设备,存在着利用率相对低、资源重复、资金浪费严重的情况。根据航空电子系统的构型和现有的技术条件,飞机航空电子系统综合验证试验研制通用的综合测试系统已成为必然。本文介绍了航空电子系统地面试验中测试系统的综合化、通用化设计方法。     

航空电子设备冷却用环路热管冷凝器热沉分析

为确定环路热管用于机载电子设备散热的适用性,讨论了应用于航空电子设备冷却的环路热管冷凝器可用热沉,提出将机翼蒙皮作为环路热管冷凝器的热沉.通过机翼蒙皮的传热分析,计算了飞行任务包线下机翼蒙皮内表面温度,以确定环路热管冷凝器热沉温度范围.理论计算表明,利用环路热管将机载电子设备的热量耗散于飞机蒙皮是一种可行的热管理技术.      

基于AFDX的特种飞机任务电子系统总线应用研究

随着航空电子系统综合化程度的不断提高,对数据总线的通信能力提出了更高的要求,此需求对于具备较高信息收集能力的特种飞机任务电子系统来说尤为突出.本文提出了一种基于航空全双工交换式以太网(AFDX)的特种飞机任务电子系统构建思路,并对其进行了分析与验证.     

FLILO (FLying Infrared for Low-level Operations) an enhanced visionsystem

The advanced avionics and flight controls group of advanced airlift and tanker systems is dedicated to integrating, prototyping, demonstrating, evaluating and testing advanced state-of-the-art technologies Vv that are candidates for future aircraft use (for new and in-service aircraft), or that are solutions to old or new/upcoming requirements and needs. The group's mission is to transition the applicable technologies into Boeing platforms. One of the research areas investigated is that of Enhanced Vision Systems (EVS)     

Successful deployment of commercial ATE to an Air Force I-level (back-shop) repair facility

In today's world of constrained budgets, one of the problems the military faces is the challenge of trying to maintain organic maintenance capabilities. Historically, the US Air Force has desired to achieve an autonomous capability to maintain the equipment it uses. This has been achieved, traditionally, by setting-up three levels of maintenance: organizational; intermediate (back-shop); and depot. The I-level back-shops often utilize militarized automatic test equipment (ATE) and test program sets (TPSs) to test today's complex aircraft line replaceable units (LRUs). And even though this is still a cost-effective maintenance philosophy, it has become costly to develop militarized ATE. The Department of Defense (DoD) has been very active in trying to reduce the total ownership cost of ATE in the government inventory. One approach is to utilize commercial, instead of Mil-Spec, ATE. However, utilizing commercial ATE at an USAF back-shop is not without its tradeoffs and challenges as it represents a significant deviation from the way the USAF maintenance squadrons are accustomed to "doing business." This paper documents the current success story of replacing the legacy C-17 I-level ATE with a commercial ATE.     

航空电子设备直接维修成本预计方法

直接维修成本(DMC)是衡量飞机维修经济性的关键指标。整架机的DMC可以分解为各部件的DMC。介绍了航空电子设备DMC分析和控制系统,阐述了国内航电设备供应商DMC预计方面的问题,针对经验数据匮乏的问题,根据产品可靠性、维修性参数,结合航电设备的特点,提出了一种航电设备DMC预计方法。实验证明,方法不依赖于经验数据,可以较准确的预测实际DMC,适用于DMC系统运行的早期阶段。     

飞机综合航电系统总体设计综合评估方法

 航空电子系统的费用 效能是飞机总体系统效能的重要组成部分,也是降低飞机寿命周期费用的关键之一。在航空电子系统的总体设计阶段,传统的系统评估和优化方法主要针对的是独立子系统/设备的费用或效能指标。综合航电系统设计方案的费用 效能重要指标包括：可支付性、构型能力、任务能力、可靠性、维修性、测试性和技术风险,以组合的方式获得了相应的综合评估准则,给出了计算公式。以某新研航电系统作为实例演示了综合评估方法的实施情况,演示的重点集中于总体设计方案的可视化量化评估分析。该综合评估方法已显示出其在实际工程设计中的可行性和应用价值。     

An overview of Allied-Signal's avionics development in the CIS

AlliedSignal Commercial Avionics Systems (ASCAS) and its partners have established the following business objectives: short term (forward-fit and retrofit with off-the-shelf products; co-development of integrated systems); mid term (co-production of avionics products in the CIS); long term (become an integrated element of CIS aerospace industry in partnership with local firms and to maintain the necessary focus to achieve these goals). ASCAS has formed a strategic business enterprise which is dedicated to developing the avionics market within the CIS. ASCAS was fortunate to find a joint venture partner who possesses skills that complement its present core competencies. The advantage of this business arrangement is that, while expanding their experience and expertise in the area of systems integration, they can directly benefit from the expertise and capabilities of indigenous airframe and equipment manufacturers (customer knowledge, simulation and integration experience, capable/skilled manpower)     

Aviation electronics/avionics

International regulations prohibit aircraft from entering high-density airspace and heavily trafficked over-ocean airways without suitable avionics. The widespread use of GPS navigation and increasing complexity of passenger entertainment systems have become the latest electronics trends on large commercial aircraft. The cost of avionics plus software is approaching 50% of the total. New aircraft have multiple computers and millions of lines of software. The following sections present the most important avionics subsystems and highlight some differences between military and commercial aircraft