Rogerson Kratos NeoAV IIDS Display System Standard, and EFIS Offered as an Option Aboard Bell 427 Light Twin.

PASADENA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 2, 1998--Rogerson Kratos' NeoAV(R) Integrated Instrument Display System (IIDS) is standard equipment on Bell Helicopter Textron's new light twin Model 427 helicopter. The aircraft, now undergoing certification, will be delivered to its first customers in January 1999.

NeoAV IIDS replaces conventional instruments in the Bell 427's cockpit. Functions such as engine instruments, electrical, hydraulic, fuel quantity, plus the craft's weight and balance are monitored and managed with an Active Matrix Liquid Crystal Display (AMLCD) featuring redundancy and maintenance capabilities. The resolution of the system is so fine that familiar, easy to read round dial representations of engine instruments are used, along with digital readouts.

Bell Helicopter Textron also offers the Rogerson Kratos NeoAV EFIS (Electronic Flight Instrument System) on the Model 427 as an option. NeoAV EFIS offers advanced features such as a GPS interface, area navigation map, non-precision approach, and weather radar. It also uses AMCLD technology, and delivers weight and power savings, along with dispatch capabilities far exceeding electromechanical instruments.

NeoAV systems are exceptionally pilot-friendly. Weight, cost, and reliability are significantly improved, compared with conventional instruments.

With its reputation for advanced technology and high reliability, cost-effective instrumentation and avionics solutions, Rogerson Kratos has achieved a 70% market share in twin-engine helicopter displays. Its products are standard equipment on several other Bell Helicopter Textron models, as well as the Agusta 109. NeoAV systems are also used on a wide range of fixed wing aircraft. The systems provide a cost-effective way to upgrade classic aircraft cockpits to the latest standards.

Rogerson Kratos is part of Rogerson Aircraft Corp., founded in 1975 by Michael J. Rogerson. Serving the world's leading aircraft manufacturers, airlines and governments with seven divisions in the United States and Europe, the corporation's span of technologies is backed with advanced engineering, and substantial investments in new manufacturing processes and state-of-the-art factory equipment.