Miles Jamison
GE Aerospace has received a subcontract to design, develop and deliver avionics systems for the U.S. Army’s Future Long Range Assault Aircraft, or FLRAA, program as part of the team led by Textron’s Bell subsidiary.
The global aerospace propulsion, services and systems company said Monday the award builds on the Army’s approval of Milestone B. This signifies the program can move forward to the engineering and manufacturing development phase.
Leveraging Digital Backbone to Enhance FLRAA
The Digital Backbone integrates Time-Sensitive Networking to deliver a reliable high-speed data pathway for the aircraft, addressing evolving data transfer requirements. The advanced data infrastructure enables customers to modify weapon systems seamlessly by removing the need to pass through the systems integrator.
GE Aerospace also provides the FLRAA with its Health and Usage Monitoring System. This health awareness system is designed to enhance the operational readiness of an aircraft through predictive maintenance.
“The maturity of the digital backbone for the U.S. Army’s Future Long Range Assault Aircraft was critical to passing Milestone B and entering the engineering and manufacturing development phase of the program,” said Matt Burns, general manager of avionics systems for GE Aerospace.
“Entering this next phase enables us to continue advancing the digital backbone for the U.S. Army’s future vertical lift programs,” said Tanika Watson, general manager of future vertical lift at GE Aerospace. “The Digital Backbone provides the framework to make aircraft system modifications and realize the benefits of Modular Open Systems Approach designs from the outset of Future Vertical Lift programs,” she added.
