Thales’ offer in cockpit, cabin and air traffic control (ATC) electronics is evolving into a comprehensive “connected aircraft” concept. The company (Hall 4 Innovation Zone A21) is studying how flight-deck connectivity can piggyback on the satellite communications equipment installed for the passenger cabin. Here at the Farnborough Airshow for the first time is the Avionics 2020 cockpit demonstrator, featuring cockpit-pilot datalink communications (CPDLC).

Last month, in a deal valued at $399 million, Thales took over in-flight connectivity specialist LiveTV from JetBlue, thus “strengthening Thales’s IFEC [in-flight entertainment and connectivity] product and service offering with connectivity as a key driver,” according to the company. Florida-based LiveTV is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Thales USA.

LiveTV not only provides live television but also passenger connectivity, such as broadband Internet and Wi-Fi streaming of movies to personal devices. “LiveTV has a nice product for single-aisle aircraft, while so far we were mainly on twin-aisles,” Michel Mathieu, executive v-p and general manager of Thales’ avionics division, said when we recently visited the Thales research-and-development facility in Toulouse.

Single-aisle aircraft opening up to IFEC is a factor of growth, in addition to increased demand for original equipment, he said. “We expect 70 percent of airlines will be offering connectivity in five or six years,” Mathieu said. Once the equipment installed, renewal cycles are becoming shorter, from seven to five years in average, according to Thales officials.

Thales’ latest IFEC products use the Android operating system. “It is a follow-on to Linux, which our previous products were using, and you can modify the code,” an expert explained. Building on Android is a way to close the gap with consumer electronics. Therefore, some applications, such as games, can be kept more up-to-date. The remote control can be used as a second device–to check emails while watching a movie on the main display, for example.

With a “seat-centric” architecture, Thales claims to have improved IFEC efficiency and speed. “Each screen has a hard drive where a lot of content is stored, notably all the ‘non-latest releases,’ which do not need to be refreshed on a regular basis,” a spokesman said. As a result, downloading content from the server to each seat takes place only from time to time. “It also means that we have eliminated the cumbersome seat boxes, thus saving weight,” he added.

Satcom Link

For satellite communications, Thales is offering a combination of L-, Ku- and Ka-band, with increasing bandwidth and price. Once satcom is installed on the aircraft for the passengers, airlines may want to use it for operational purposes, too. For example, exhaustive maintenance data–to better prepare for possible repairs on the ground–may be exchanged at a high rate for a relatively low cost. Today’s Acars is limited–technology-wise, it is comparable to text messaging–and expensive.

With today’s satcom capability, pilots could receive more accurate weather information such as real-time weather charts. “Thanks to greater anticipation, flying around a thunderstorm may take less time,” explained Christophe Lerat, design authority for Thales’ optimized aircraft operations product line. The company is also testing turbulence, icing and volcanic ash avoidance for entry into service early next year.

In Toulouse, Thales has a dedicated laboratory–called The Link–to test data links between ATC and the cockpit. It provides a fully integrated environment with all airspace users represented. Next to the two-seat flight deck, three ATC stations simulate an airport approach, ground control and a TMA (traffic management advisor). Thales claims its experience in both airborne electronics and ATC systems give it an edge.

Long-awaited CPDLC will start very soon with text messages replacing voice clearances, according to Thales’ specialists. A second phase, in 2017-2018, will see flight plans being transmitted at regular intervals. Then, in 2020-2023, so-called 4-D trajectories, which include time constraints at given points in space, will be introduced.

There are two main benefits for data-link communications between pilot and controllers, the specialists emphasized. First, waypoint sequences can be transmitted unambiguously to update the flight plan. Second, workload can be reduced thanks to direct upload of these messages in the flight management system. It starts with enabling ATC to send a text input to the cockpit on proposed changes to the flight plan. The pilot no longer has to spend time listening to the voice command, then inputting the changes in the flight computer. He or she simply has to read the message, check whether he is happy with the changes and accept them. These are then instantly uploaded on the flight computer. Finally, they are relayed back to ATC.

The CPDLC-capable Avionics 2020 flight deck demonstrator, built on a new man-machine interface that makes the most of touchscreens and neuroscience, seems to enjoy some success with prospect customers. “We are in the final stages of discussions with a potential customer to refine the design,” said Richard Perrot, avionics marketing director. Development may be firmly launched next year for an entry into service in 2020.

On the A350 XWB, “we completed all our development work,” said Philippe Carette, v-p and managing director, commercial avionics. Thales claims to supply 40 percent of the aircraft’s avionics package. Company engineers support Airbus’s ongoing A350XWB test effort and have heard “good feedback on the maturity of the equipment.” But Thales has essentially turned to the production phase. “We are delivering 16 packages this year,” Carette said.

Daniel Malka, v-p for avionics services, is hoping to see a good take-up for the A350XWB’s head-up display (HUD) and even demand for retrofit on other Airbus types. Leading the way may be Chinese airlines, as the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) is recommending that they install HUDs as a way to compensate for there being a relatively small number of airports in the country equipped with ground-based landing aids. According to the CAAC’s roadmap, 10 percent of the fleet of each airline should fly with HUDs by 2015 and 50 percent in 2020, Malka said.

He noted Airbus’s doctrine–once rather focused on head-down displays–is changing, probably influenced by China’s approach. Thales’ optional HUD on the A350XWB is available in single or dual configuration. Integrating the HUD into a larger work package has enabled a 33-pound weight reduction and a 150-Watt cut in electric consumption, as a dedicated calculator is no longer required.

Carette emphasized that Airbus has this year awarded Thales for a near-perfect record in on-time deliveries–99.96 percent falling in a time slot that runs from seven days before to one day after the planned date.

On the ATR 42/72-600’s avionics, in service since 2011, Thales is working on a second standard. “We started working on it in 2012, it flew early this year and will be certified this summer, targeting the first customer delivery early in 2015,” Carette said. Thales supplies the entire avionics suite for in-production ATRs.

In customer support, Thales is considering expanding its AOG team base in Dubai into a full-service hub. Other hubs are located in Chatellerault, France; Piscataway, New Jersey; and Singapore. Thales commits to deliver a spare part or piece of equipment within 12 hours.

Thales Mulls Head-worn Displays

Thales is considering head-worn displays as an alternative to head-up displays in civil helicopters or small business jets, where not enough room is available for a HUD. Two kinds of products may be designed. The first, similar to Google Glass, would provide the pilot with useful information at an affordable price. The second, able to display conformal graphics (such as a virtual runway superimposed on the real one), would be more sophisticated and thus closer to military helmet-mounted displays, such as Thales’s existing TopOwl.