Airbus Avionics

Airbus is a European multinational company that designs, manufactures and sells civil and military aerospace products worldwide.

Avionics

“Avionics” is made up of the words aviation and electronics. Avionics is the electronic systems used on aircraft including functions such as control, monitoring, communication, navigation, weather and anti-collision systems. Hundreds of computers are located below the cockpit in the avionics bay, hosting all functions systems.

Airbus Avionics

Airbus Avionics proposes a complete range of avionics products devoted to all Airbus aircraft families and ATR.

Electric Flight Controls

On A320, which was the first commercial aircraft worldwide to be equipped with an electrical flight control system, Airbus Avionics designed the software of the EFCS secondary computer. The success of the A320 Electrical Flight Control System leads Airbus to extend this system to all new products in the range, thereby creating an entire A320 Family around an identical flight control and cockpit concept.

On the A330/A340 family, Airbus Avionics designs and produces the hardware and software of the FCPC (Flight Control Primary Computer); it also designs the software of the FCSC (Flight Control Secondary Computer).

On the A340-500/600, in addition to launching a more powerful version of the primary computer (FCPC), Airbus Avionics designs and series the new secondary computer (FCSC).

The three primary computers (FCPC) and two secondary computers (FCSC) which form the A340 and A330 electrical flight control system are placed between the pilot’s controls (sidesticks, rudder pedals) and the control surfaces of the aircraft, whose movement they control and monitor.

On A380, Airbus Avionics designs and manufactures the hardware and software of the Primary and Secondary Flight Controls (FCGU and SEC). It also develops a FCDC function which is integrated into IMA Modules.

On A400M, EYY designs and manufactures hardware and software of the Primary and Secondary Flight Controls (FCGU), and the BCM (Back Up Control Module).

Warning Systems

The Flight Warning System has always been a highly specific aircraft system, directly addressing cockpit ergonomics and HMI.

Designed to acquire numerous data from all the aircraft systems, its main functions are the computation and preparation of aural warnings (sounds and voice messages) and visual warnings (texts, memos, procedures etc.).

Present on all Airbus and ATR aircraft, warning management has evolved and improved through the different generations of airborne equipment: MWC (Master Warning Controller) and MWP (Master Warning Panel) for the first A300 aircraft, then the FWS (Flight Warning System) with successive generations of the FWC (Flight Warning Computer) on Wide Bodies, then A320 Family, A330/340 and finally A380 and A400M.

For Single Aisle and Long Range aircraft, the complete system also integrates two other major items of equipment produced by Avionics and Simulation:

• SDAC
• ECP

On the ATR, this warning function is integrated by the MFC (Multi-Function Computer) produced by Systems and Services.

On A380 and A400M, Airbus Avionics involvement consists in the development of a function which is integrated in IMA Modules.

Communication Systems

Because of the increase in air traffic, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) decided to re-organise the air navigation system integrating aircraft and ground infrastructures.

The AIM-FANS program was launched at the beginning of 1996 by Airbus Industrie, to control this transformation in air traffic communications, navigation, surveillance and management systems.

ATSU (Air Traffic Service Unit) is the cornerstone of this program, at the heart of communications between the aircraft, the air traffic control centers and the operational centers of the airlines.

Installed on both the Single Aisle (A319/320/321) and Long Range (A330/340) aircraft, this equipment is completely modular; it first entered into service in December 1998 on an A340.

On A380 and A400M, this functionality has been developed through a function which is installed in an IMA module.

IMA (Integrated Modular Avionics)

EYY has been strongly involved in the Integrated Modular Avionics program since the beginning, and was the leader for research programs that were at the origin of IMA.

Integrated Modular Avionics is a new concept allowing separate hardware and software developments thanks to a standardized software interface (API). Thanks to this interface, Functions development can be run independently to Modules development.

On A380 and A400M, EYY designs and manufactures IMA shipsets. This represents 5 Core Processing Input output Modules (CPIOM) and 8 Input output Modules (IOM) for each aircraft.

Nose Radome

The nose radome is a structural, weatherproof, radio waves transparent protective shell that prevents ice, freezing rain, bird strikes or any external effect from damaging the weather radar antenna and as well, an aerodynamic fairing of the fuselage nose. Conception of such a unit is subject to radar optics requirements which are high transmission, low reflection, low absorption, small boresight errors and high resistance to external shocks. Regardless of radomes currently operating and made with Kevlar or Quartz, new radome series use S2 glass fiber technology, notably for A320 and A330/340 families, A350XWB and A400M.

Airbus Avionics Portfolio

A320 Family

• CAL (Cockpit Amplifier Loudspeaker)
• ECP (Ecam Control Panel)
• FWC (Flight Warning Computer)
• SDAC (System Data Acquisition Control)
• RATC (Remote ATC)
• ATSU (Air Traffic Service Unit)
• Nose Radome

A330 & A340

• CBDBU (Circuit Breaker Database Unit)
• FCPC (Flight Control Primary Computer)
• FCSC (Flight Control Secondary Computer)
• ECP (Ecam Control Panel)
• FWC (Flight Warning Computer)
• SDAC (System Data Acquisition Control)
• RATC (Remote ATC)
• ATSU (Air Traffic Service Unit)
• Nose Radome

A350

• PRIM (Flight Control Primary Computer)
• SEC (Flight Control Secondary Computer)
• BCM (Back-up Control Module)
• IMA
• FSA (FlySmart Information System)
• ASFC (Avionics Server Functions Computer)
• Printer, OMT, Keyboard
• BMU
• Nose Radome

A380

• FCGU (Flight Control & Guidance Unit)
• SEC (Secondary Computer)
• IMA – CPIOM C,D (Core Processing I/0 Mod)
• IMA – CPIOM A,B,E,F,G
• IMA – IOM A (Input/Output Module)
• ANSU (Aircraft Network Server Unit)
• ARU (Aircraft Router Unit) / SIRU
• FANS KIT
• OWD (Open World Diode)
• OIT Display & Keyboard
• OIT ACD (Additional Control Device) Left / Right
• OMT (On-board Maintenance Terminal)
• TPU (Terminal Processor Unit)
• Printer
• NCU (NSS Control Unit)
• Laptops
• Nose Radome

ATR 42 & ATR 72

• MFC (Multi Function Computer)
• CAC (Crew Alerting Computer)
• APCM (Active Phase Control Microphone)
• APCC (Active Phase Control Computer)