Next Gen V-22 Interface Units Nearing Flight Testing
GE Aviation’s Systems division expects to complete testing the interface units for the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey some time in the next few weeks, after which

GE Aviation’s Systems division expects to complete testing the interface units for the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey some time in the next few weeks, after which the units will be flight tested on the vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft.

The project is valued at $6 million for engineering development with a potential value of $30 million in sales over 20 years, production deliveries being scheduled to begin in 2008. The GE Systems division, formerly Smiths Aerospace, also produces rudder actuators, shut-off/isolation valves and nacelle blowers for the V-22 program.

The interface units are located in the engine nacelle, the wing and the avionics bay to provide digital sensor data over a MIL-STD-1553B data bus. The next generation interfaces are part of the shift to an integrated modular avionics architecture.