Collins Aerospace receives STC to modernize Hawker 800 cockpit communications
ORLANDO - Collins Aerospace, a Raytheon Technologies company in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, have announced that the company has received a supplemental type certificate (STC) for the installation of its CMU-4000 on the Hawker 750/800/850/900 series of aircraft.
This communications management unit (CMU), according to Collins Aerospace, enables Hawker operators to fly in preferred oceanic and international airspace, create flight efficiencies ranging from more direct routing, quicker departure and landing clearances, reduced fuel consumption and fewer CO2 emissions to meet evolving airspace requirements.
The CMU-4000 supports the controller-pilot data link communications (CPDLC) portion of the Future Air Navigation Standard (FANS 1/A) by enabling the replacement of operational radio communications with text messaging, helping decongest radio frequencies, ease pilot workloads and reduce potential human error in the form of voice misreads.
While alternative solutions utilize only one or two radio frequencies (RF) to transmit communications, CMU-4000 uses all three RF sub-networks available (VHF, HF and SATCOM, including Iridium and Inmarsat). This tiered coverage approach provides quality communications regardless of flight condition – including within congested airspace, at higher elevations or in wide-open areas – while also helping eliminate drops in coverage and communication interference.
