Sextant Avionique: comprehensive integration.Sextant sextant, instrument for measuring the altitude of the sun or another celestial body; such measurements can then be used to determine the observer's geographical position or for other navigational, surveying, or astronomical applications. Avionique: Comprehensive Integration Export or die. To many a Briton these three words bring back memories of the bleak post-war years during which British heavy industry had no alternative but to export if it was to be allocated the Government-rationed raw materials it needed to keep its wheels turning. Today, the Western World's motto is Unite or die. There are several reasons for this, one of which is not being forced to marry an over-possessive bride at gunpoint. For France's four main avionic component manufacturers - the Avionics Division of Thomson-CSF, Electronique Aerospatiale (EAS (Electronic Article Surveillance) A security system for preventing theft in retail stores that uses disposable label tags or reusable hard tags attached to the merchandise. ), Crouzet and Sfena - there was at least one additional reason to link up: the increasing trend towards systems integration in which individual units provide data to other systems or use data from other black boxes. All four firms were successful in their own individual field of specialization, even more so if one considers that Sfena holds 98 (yes, ninety-eight) percent of the world market for stand-by artificial horizon indicators. Thomson-CSF's Avionics Division concentrated on head-up, head-level and head-down displays as well as on the development of new-generation liquid-crystal flat screens, Crouzet on navigation equipment (including laser gyroscopes and space-oriented systems), Electronique Aerospatiale on radios and Sfena on control systems; there was a slight product overlap in flight instruments Most aircraft are equipped with a standard set of flight instruments which give the pilot information about the aircraft's attitude, airspeed, and altitude. Most aircraft have these seven basic flight instruments: From the financial standpoint, all the factors were present for a relatively smooth merger - or integration. Crouzet, EAS and Sfena were already subsidiaries of Aerospatiale, and Thomson had a large avionics division. The two leading companies each took an equal stake in a new holding company providing 54 percent control of Sextant Avionique, the remaining 46 percent of the shares being held by the stock market. The new agreement came into force on 12 June last year and the Sextant Avionique company was born. As was only to be expected, it took the previously independent companies some time to sort out and streamline their various services, but the result is there: less than six months later, the company announced that the new structure had been defined and that it was ready for its official inauguration in early March by its Chairman and Director General Jean Segui and Director General Jean Monfort. Size Sextant Avionique can today claim to be the leading West European avionics firm, ranking fifth worldwide. Total business last year amounted to FF6000 million of which avionics alone accounted for FF4150 million. In 1989, 37 percent of the sales were for the military market and 53 percent were accounted for by either direct or indirect exports. On the workforce side, Sextant Avionique employs a total of 9850 people, of which approximately 6000 work for the aerospace and defence market. Divisions and Products The company consists of the following seven divisions (a few examples of their product lines are also given): * Display/Interface. In addition to a wide range of EFIS EFIS Electronic Flight Instrument System EFIS European Federation of Immunological Societies (Berlin, Germany) EFIS ERO Frequency Information System (Europe) EFIS European Forest Information System and head-up displays for the civil aviation market (Airbus A310, 300-600, 320 and 330) this division is now actively developing new display systems for tomorrow's fighter aircraft fighter aircraft Aircraft designed primarily to secure control of essential airspace by destroying enemy aircraft in combat. Designed for high speed and maneuverability, they are armed with weapons capable of striking other aircraft in flight. . These include head-up and head-level displays as well as a voice dialogue unit with a word-chain recognition capability of 200 words for the Rafale. The Display/Interface Division also proposes a smart head-up display for combat aircraft retrofit programmes. A voice synthesizer synthesizer Machine that electronically generates and modifies sounds, frequently with the use of a digital computer, for use in the composition of electronic music and in live performance. board is also being developed for the Leclerc MBT MBT Minimum (Spark Advance For) Best Torque MBT Masai Barefoot Technology MBT Main Battle Tank MBT Mechanical Biological Treatment (waste treatment) MBT Mercaptobenzothiazole MBT Master of Business Taxation . In addition, the section is designing a number of helmet-mounted sights and displays for the Tiger helicopter. * Navigation Systems. This division's laser gyro inertial units such as the Sextan and Totem are, or will be, fitted to as many different types of platforms as the Tiger helicopter, the Transall transport aeroplane or Ariane 5 space rocket. Systems like the Nadir series of mission computers should clear any doubt as to which firm was that division before the merger. * Telecommunications and Science. Essentially space-related, this division exceeds the boundaries of European programmes and provides systems for both American and Soviet satellites such as Galileo and Vega. * Airborne Instruments. The various equipments - ranging from altimeters through angle of attack and sideslip side·slip intr.v. side·slipped, side·slip·ping, side·slips 1. To slip or skid to one side. 2. To slide sideways and downward in skiing. 3. indicators to gyroscopic gy·ro·scope n. A device consisting of a spinning mass, typically a disk or wheel, mounted on a base so that its axis can turn freely in one or more directions and thereby maintain its orientation regardless of any movement of the base. horizons - produced by this division are used by about every military and civil aircraft manufacturer in the Western hemisphere Western Hemisphere Part of Earth comprising North and South America and the surrounding waters. Longitudes 20° W and 160° E are often considered its boundaries. including Gulfstream Aerospace Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation is a producer of several models of private jet aircraft. Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation has been a unit of General Dynamics since 2001. Gulfstream's main facility is located in Savannah, Georgia, United States. , CASA Ca´sa n. 1. A house or mansion. I saw that Enriquez had made no attempt to modernize the old casa, and that even the garden was left in its lawless native luxuriance. - Bret Harte. , Panavia, Embraer and FAMA FAMA Fire Apparatus Manufacturers Association FAMA Floor Acquisition Multiple Access FAMA Fundación para el Apoyo a la Microempresa (Spanish) FAMA Federal Agriculture and Marketing Authority (Malaysia) . A number of systems have also been developed for MiG A5 retrofit programmes. * Airborne Radio Communications. Secure radio communications systems manufactured by this division are used on the Mirage 2000 and the Hawk, and its TRM912 transceiver is specially designed for the Rafale combat aircraft. The Airborne and Radio Communications Division also produces airborne identification and surveillance systems such as the Atal pod for helicopters and light aeroplanes. * Flight Control Systems. Current development programmes of this division include pilot-to-system interfaces and related computers for the Rafale, and the automatic flight control system for the Tiger attack helicopter A helicopter specifically designed to employ various weapons to attack and destroy enemy targets. . * Automatic Testing. This division is not directly involved in defence or aviation-related products, but supplies production test equipment for industry. The origins of the sextant can be traced back to the 15th Century and is described by the Oxford English Dictionary Oxford English Dictionary (OED) great multi-volume historical dictionary of English. [Br. Hist.: Caught in the Web of Words] See : Lexicography as an instrument used for observing altitudes between objects to ascertain a latitude. PHOTO : Sextant's Display/Interface Division is working on voice command systems for the PHOTO : next-generation Rafale fighter aircraft. PHOTO : Close-up of pilot's helmet with display offered by Sextant for the Tiger helicopter. It PHOTO : also offers HUDs and HLDs. PHOTO : Among Sextant's other developments is this Smart Head-up Display for retrofitting to the PHOTO : F-5. |
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