Multifunction aeronautical displays for the mid-life upgrade (MLU) of the F18 of the Spanish Air Force
Customer
Air Force
Sector
Aerospace and Defense
Capabilities used
Systems engineering.
Design and development of on-board electronics.
Display technologies: ruggedized LCD screens.
Environmental qualification according to MIL-STD 810/ MIL-STD 461 standards.
In-house production of avionics equipment.
Situation
Following its entry into service in the 1980s, a mid-life upgrade of some of the avionics of the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet was an imperative to improve its tactical capabilities, operational safety and extend its service life to avoid obsolescence problems. In this context, the Agency for the Acquisition and Development of the Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) a contract for the design, production and supply of a new generation of multifunction Displays, awarded to Grupo Oesía - Tecnobit after being selected among the big international competitors of the sector.
Tasks
The project encompasses the design and production of the front and rear displays. Both displays have been designed with a modular architecture that improves their maintainability and allows for future growth if required. This new fleet of aeronautical displays provides:
more processing capacity
better performance
reduced operating workload for the pilot
very low latency
Action
During the development of the project, one of the great challenges faced by Grupo Oesía - Tecnobit was the work of reverse engineering that was carried out in collaboration with CLAEX and that allowed to ensure that the new generation of displays is FFF (Form-Fit-Function) with the previous ones avoiding any modification of the F18 fighter. In this way, these displays have improved both the pilot and the operational performance of the platform without any changes to the platform.
Result
The supply of the new generation of aeronautical displays, which have been validated by the Spanish Air Force and are now in service, has been successfully completed, reinforcing the capabilities of our Armed Forces.
The Award for Excellence in Aerospace (*) granted by Avion Revue Magazine recognizes our excellent performance in the design and manufacture of the latest generation cockpit displays that will equip the EF-18 aircraft of the Spanish Air Force.
