L3 Selected by Airbus to Provide and Integrate New Fixed and Deployable Flight Recorders for Commercial Jets
L3 announced today that it has been selected by Airbus to provide and integrate new voice and data flight recorders for the entire range of Airbus commercial aircraft.
L3 will design and manufacture a fixed, crash-protected Cockpit Voice and Data Recorder (CVDR) capable of recording up to 25 hours of voice and flight data on a single recorder. L3 will also be the integrator, in partnership with Airbus, of a new Automatic Deployable Flight Recorder (ADFR) that will be designed and manufactured by DRS Technologies Canada Ltd. (a Leonardo DRS company).
“We are excited to expand L3’s role at the forefront of aviation technology development by delivering a new level of capability for Airbus,” said Michael T. Strianese, L3’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “Commercial aviation is an important market for L3, and our expertise enables us to respond to changing customer needs as both a product supplier and trusted integrator.”
L3’s new fixed CVDR will be lighter and more compact, and will provide innovative capabilities, including versatile interfaces, compared to the current generation of recorders. The unit will be the basis of a new generation of combined flight recorders designed and manufactured by L3 that addresses the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) requirement to extend the duration of voice recording to 25 hours.
The new deployable ADFR is aimed at long-range aircraft, with extended flight time over water or remote areas, such as the Airbus A321LR, A330, A350 and A380. This system will add a state-of-the-art capability new to commercial airliners: the ability to be deployed in the event of significant structural deformation or water submersion. Designed to float, the crash-protected memory module also contains up to 25 hours of recorded cockpit voice and flight data and will be equipped with an integrated Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) to help rescue teams rapidly locate and recover flight recorders.
“L3 is extremely proud to be the partner of choice for Airbus for this new technology innovation, which enables rapid recovery of flight recorders and contributes to increased safety in air travel,” said Kris Ganase, President of the L3 Aviation Products sector within the Electronic Systems business segment. “This combined fixed and deployable system is an example of the technology that has made L3 one of the leading providers of flight recorders to airlines and OEMs.”
Charles Champion, Executive Vice President of Engineering at Airbus Commercial Aircraft, said, “Airbus, together with L3 Technologies and Leonardo DRS, is very pleased to be leading the commercial aircraft industry in implementing into our aircraft new deployable flight data and 25-hour voice recording capability.” He added, “Starting with the very long-range A350 XWB, we look forward to progressively installing these new voice and data recovery devices across our entire product range.”
The new recording systems will be available in 2019, initially on the A350, with subsequent deployment on all other Airbus aircraft types.
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