Barco2007-06-21 10:25:13
Barco wins major contract under Royal Navy Merlin upgrade program
Visualization specialist Barco has won a major contract from AgustaWestland to deliver state-of-the-art avionics touch screen displays for use aboard the UK Royal Navy's EH101 Merlin helicopter fleet. The contract fits within the Merlin Capability Sustainment Plus (MCSP) upgrade program aimed at retaining the aircraft's pre-eminent operational position in the next decades. Thirty helicopters will be upgraded, with an option for a further eight.
Barco will provide AgustaWestland with advanced MFD-2108 multi-function displays, equipped with a sunlight-readable, NVG compatible, 10 by 8 inch screen. The displays will be used in the EH101's cockpit and cabin as a certified (DO-178B and DO-254 level C) Touch Screen Unit (TSU) featuring innovative touch screen technology, which is being demonstrated for the first time at Paris Airshow, in hall 2B, stand J5. Unlike traditional touch screen products, this new technology offers uncompromised brightness, excellent contrast and a wide viewing angle. By adopting this technology, the MFD-2108 presents the user-friendliness of a touch screen device on an avionics-certified display, while keeping its optical performance unaffected. Aboard the Merlin helicopters, Barco's MFD-2108 will replace conventional Control Display Units, thereby improving the human machine interface and reducing the workload for the cockpit crew.
Barco's MFD-2108 displays were selected competitively for this project thanks to the availability of a Modular Open System Architecture. This flexible MOSArt architecture permits AgustaWestland to integrate its own ARINC-661 TSU applications on the display's hardware platform. Moreover, it enables fast and easy adaptation to future requirements, which guarantees future growth until the helicopters' out of service date in the 2030s. Other technological innovations of the MFD-2108 displays include progressive interfacing and networking functionality based on optical fiber technology, advanced ARINC-661 communication, and Avionics Full-Duplex Switched Ethernet (AFDX).
For the present, Barco has been awarded the development contract. The series order is expected by the end of July 2007. The first units will be delivered in the first quarter of 2008.
Visualization specialist Barco has won a major contract from AgustaWestland to deliver state-of-the-art avionics touch screen displays for use aboard the UK Royal Navy's EH101 Merlin helicopter fleet. The contract fits within the Merlin Capability Sustainment Plus (MCSP) upgrade program aimed at retaining the aircraft's pre-eminent operational position in the next decades. Thirty helicopters will be upgraded, with an option for a further eight.
Barco will provide AgustaWestland with advanced MFD-2108 multi-function displays, equipped with a sunlight-readable, NVG compatible, 10 by 8 inch screen. The displays will be used in the EH101's cockpit and cabin as a certified (DO-178B and DO-254 level C) Touch Screen Unit (TSU) featuring innovative touch screen technology, which is being demonstrated for the first time at Paris Airshow, in hall 2B, stand J5. Unlike traditional touch screen products, this new technology offers uncompromised brightness, excellent contrast and a wide viewing angle. By adopting this technology, the MFD-2108 presents the user-friendliness of a touch screen device on an avionics-certified display, while keeping its optical performance unaffected. Aboard the Merlin helicopters, Barco's MFD-2108 will replace conventional Control Display Units, thereby improving the human machine interface and reducing the workload for the cockpit crew.
Barco's MFD-2108 displays were selected competitively for this project thanks to the availability of a Modular Open System Architecture. This flexible MOSArt architecture permits AgustaWestland to integrate its own ARINC-661 TSU applications on the display's hardware platform. Moreover, it enables fast and easy adaptation to future requirements, which guarantees future growth until the helicopters' out of service date in the 2030s. Other technological innovations of the MFD-2108 displays include progressive interfacing and networking functionality based on optical fiber technology, advanced ARINC-661 communication, and Avionics Full-Duplex Switched Ethernet (AFDX).
For the present, Barco has been awarded the development contract. The series order is expected by the end of July 2007. The first units will be delivered in the first quarter of 2008.
For more information contact:
Noordlaan 5, Industriezone
Kuurne
B-8520
Belgium
Tel: +32 56 368 211
Fax: +32 56 368 251