The Middle East’s largest aircraft leasing company, Aviation Lease and Finance Co. (ALAFCO), has selected the full suite of Rockwell Collins avionics, including MultiScan Threat Track, weather radar and Multi Mode Receiver (MMR), for the 85 Airbus A320neos it has on order.

In addition, ALAFCO will install Paves, Collins’ overhead broadcast and wireless content distribution inflight entertainment systems (IFE) across its A320 fleet. Deliveries will begin in 2017.

Claude Alber, Rockwell Collins’ vice president and managing director for Europe, Middle East and Africa, claims that the system will accommodate an aircraft full of passengers. “Customers that opt to take advantage of our wireless and IFE systems will have access to faster onboard connectivity due to the wireless system’s ability to accommodate more than 200 passengers, as well as a variety of entertainment and information options,” he said.

Meanwhile, China Eastern Airlines has also opted for Paves and Collins’ Airshow moving map for 15 new Boeing 737s. Deliveries are expected to begin by year-end.

This is the latest in a series of selections by China Eastern for Rockwell Collins systems. Earlier this year, the airline selected the company’s Head-up Guidance System and MMR for 20 new aircraft.

MultiScan ThreatTrack is the latest evolution of Rockwell Collins’ MultiScan weather radar solution. It is the only commercial airborne radar offered by both Airbus and Boeing that delivers two-level turbulence detection and predictive over flight protection, while enabling inferred hail and lightning detection.

Its GLU-925 MMR, the first certified GPS landing system receiver, enables high-integrity navigation, including RNP AR, Category III ILS and Category I global positioning landing system approaches. The MMR also provides GPS position and availability requirements for ADS-B OUT mandates.

Paves Broadcast overhead IFE provides passengers with a wider range of information and entertainment content while “significantly” reducing size, weight and power consumption. The system’s HD media server has 160 GB of solid-state digital audio and video storage capability, integrated pre-recorded announcements and music and the Airshow 3-D moving map.

In addition to the airline orders, Collins has also increased its ARINC subsidiary’s global footprint in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The idea is to address the challenges of rising air traffic and more data being consumed by modern aircraft by expanding the number of VHF ground stations, adding VHF Digital Link Mode 2 (VDL Mode 2) frequency capacity in Europe and implementing a proprietary algorithm that will increase network capacity. o