Boeing has received a $368 million Engineering, Manufacturing andDevelopment (EMD) contract to develop a design that modernizes theflight deck and avionics of the U.S. and NATO E-3 707 AirborneWarning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft fleet. The contract, awarded by the Electronic Systems Center at HanscomAir Force Base, Mass., is the second phase of a cooperative programbetween the U.S. Air Force and NATO. The initial phase includedsubsystem requirements reviews completed in March. Under the EMD contract, Boeing will integrate new and existingavionics and communications systems; develop a design to installthe new equipment; upgrade one aircraft for each AWACS fleet;flight-test the new systems; develop logistics support data; andtrain flight crews and maintenance personnel. "This move from analog systems to a digital flight deck will enablethe U.S. and NATO AWACS fleets to meet current and identifiedfuture air traffic management requirements for flying in worldwideairspace," said Jon Hunsberger, AWACS program manager for Boeing. "They also provide growth capability for any future requirementsand solve the problem of diminishing manufacturing sources forflight avionics." The upgraded flight deck will feature five main glass displays,offering the pilot and co-pilot user-friendly and customizableengine, navigation and radar data. The upgrade also will result ina cost savings in personnel, because the flight deck crew will bereduced from four to three. Installation is scheduled to begin on the NATO AWACS aircraft at aBoeing facility in Seattle during the third quarter of 2013.Modification of the U.S. AWACS begins in 2014. Both will becompleted by the end of 2015. Production contracts for theremaining aircraft in the fleets will be awarded later. Rockwell Collins will supply the flight management system suite,including glass displays and air-data and flight-managementcomputers. Other suppliers include Telephonics of New York, Thalesof Belgium, EMS of Canada and Raytheon of Maryland. The flight deck upgrade will be the latest enhancement to the AWACSfleets. Under the current Block 40/45 program for the U.S. fleet,Boeing is providing ship-set hardware, installation support,Production Qualification Testing, training equipment developmentand logistics support. Block 40-45 enhancements include new computers, displays, advancedbattle management tools and an open architecture, enabling rapidsoftware upgrades. A Boeing-led team completed a major missionsystem upgrade for the NATO fleet in 2008 as part of the $1.32billion Mid-Term Modernisation program. The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as PU Bag Material , China PU Leather Sofa, and more. For more , please visit PU Leather Cloth today!
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