CASE STUDIES & INNOVATIONS:
Avionics

Battelle’s innovative applications of new technology deliver cost-effective upgrades of military aircraft equipment—from displays and control panels, to navigation and flight management systems.

 

OUR APPROACH

 

Battelle’s avionics engineers specialize in legacy avionics equipment modernization solutions based on technology life cycle management principles, insertion of proven technology, use of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components, and modular design. Our approach provides immediate functional performance and reliability improvement, as well as reduction in total ownership cost.

 

Core competencies in avionics include:

  • Re-engineering of obsolete avionics equipment, including:
      • Aircraft control panels
      • Multi-function displays (MFDs)
      • Display generator equipment
      • Aircraft processor and data bus equipment
      • Aircraft navigation and flight management systems
      • Relay panels
      • Caution advisory panels
      • Intercom systems
      • Power converters/controllers
  • Global Positioning System (GPS), Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) and Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) technology integration
  • Incandescent bulb replacement with Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs)
  • Implementation of flat panel display technology (e.g. AMLCD) to replace obsolete Cathode Ray Tubes (CRTs)
  • Night vision imaging system compatible designs
  • DO-178B software development and integration
  • DO-254 hardware development
  • Cross-platform common avionics equipment development

Specialized Equipment and Facilities:

  • Electronic Systems Development Laboratory (ESDL) – 25,000 square foot facility for development, testing and evaluation of specialized avionics equipment and software.
  • Computer Aided Design (CAD) facilities – Circuit card assembly design and documentation, mechanical design using Pro-Engineer and/or AutoCAD.
  • Environmental test facilities – Five Thermatron temperature chambers, two vibration/shock tables, and a shielded electromagnetic interference test chamber for avionics equipment environmental validation.
  • Optical system evaluation laboratory – Used for development and evaluation testing of aircraft displays and control panels for conformance to luminance, color and night vision requirements.
  • Engineering prototype facility – Used to quickly develop one of a kind engineering prototypes for evaluation and system design alternative evaluation
  • Manufacturing facilities for avionics components -- 65,000 square facility conceived and built specifically to support our DoD customers with a modular and flexible production line that can be quickly adapted to meet program requirements ranging from a few items to several hundred units.
  • HTML based configuration management system – Paperless web-based CM system for Technical Data Package (TDP) generation and maintenance.