BAE SYSTEMS Wins Autopilot Contract for New Zealand Air Force P-3 Orions.LOS ANGELES Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. -- L-3 Communications
L-3 Communications Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: LLL) is a company that supplies command, control, communications, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C3ISR) systems and Corp. has awarded BAE Systems BAE Systems British manufacturer of aircraft, missiles, avionics, naval vessels, and other aerospace and defense products. BAE Systems was formed (1999) from the merger of British Aerospace (BAe) with Marconi Electronic Systems. a contract to upgrade P-3 Orion The Lockheed P-3 Orion is a maritime patrol aircraft of numerous militaries around the world, used primarily for maritime patrol, reconnaissance, and anti-submarine warfare. autopilot systems for the Royal New Zealand Air Force The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) is the air arm of the New Zealand Defence Force. It was formed from New Zealand components of the British Royal Air Force, becoming an independent force in 1923, although many RNZAF aircrew continued to serve in the Royal Air Force . The contract calls for upgrading existing BAE Systems Digital Autopilot Systems (DAS) with a new flight director and a corresponding upgrade to the system's autopilot control panel. The autopilot upgrade is part of a larger upgrade program in which L-3 Communications will upgrade cockpit and mission avionics for New Zealand's P-3 fleet. The BAE Systems contract is valued at $3 million. "We are especially pleased that the Royal New Zealand Air Force - as the launch customer for our Digital Autopilot Systems in 1999 - is incorporating the high-end functionality of our flight director in its autopilot systems," said Brett Hush, director of Military Flight Control Programs for BAE Systems. Said Roger Shuler, BAE Systems' program manager for P-3 programs: "The Flight Director upgrade will allow Royal New Zealand Air Force pilots to maximize the full capability of this advanced, multifunction autopilot in all range of missions, both over sea and over land." This award follows the U.S. Navy's 2004 award of a $41.9 million contract to upgrade 150 P-3 Orion aircraft with the digital autopilot. The P-3 DAS is a dual-redundant digital autopilot system that offers enhanced safety, high system reliability, and lower operating costs operating costs npl → gastos mpl operacionales . The BAE Systems system has logged more than 10,000 hours with P-3 fleets worldwide, including the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Border Protection Service, the Canadian Department of National Defense, the Royal New Zealand Air Force, and the Australian Air Force. The DAS is lighter, more capable, and more reliable than the legacy analog systems on P-3 aircraft. The system provides pilots with enhanced modes of operation, including control-wheel steering, navigation steering, a broad range of hold modes, and automatic approach to CAT 1 landings. The system also provides ARINC ARINC Aeronautical Radio, Inc. ARINC Aircraft Radio Incorporated ARINC Aeronautical Research Incorporated 429/MIL-STD-1553 interfaces that are compatible with current and anticipated Global Air Traffic Management requirements. As an off-the-shelf solution, the DAS can be installed as a form-fit-function replacement, or as part of a larger avionics upgrade program. BAE Systems is an international company engaged in the development, delivery, and support of advanced defense and aerospace systems in the air, on land, at sea and in space. BAE Systems North America North America, third largest continent (1990 est. pop. 365,000,000), c.9,400,000 sq mi (24,346,000 sq km), the northern of the two continents of the Western Hemisphere. is one of America's foremost national security, aerospace and information systems companies. |
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