By John McHale
NEPEAN, Ontario — The North Atlantic Treaty Organization`s fleet of Boeing E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft will use the 2010-AM(A) flat panel displays from Computing Devices Canada in Nepean, Ontario.
The Computing Devices 20.1-inch active matrix liquid crystal display (AMLCD) flat panels are a form, fit, and function replacement for 16-inch cathode ray tube (CRT) devices from Hazeltine — now part of GEC Marconi—says John Fournier, business development manager for tactical display systems at Computing Devices.
The upgrade is for the NATO AWACS Mid-term Modernization Program. Boeing Information, Space, and Defense Systems in Seattle is the prime contractor for the effort, which includes the upgrade of 14 display consoles in 17 aircraft.
Computing Devices engineers are also supplying a VME SPARC II processor from Sun Microsystems in Sunnyvale, Calif., removable PCMCIA card, QUERTY keyboard, and mouse.
The display is so rugged that anyone could kick it, knock it off a table, and even punch it without doing damage, Fournier claims. One Computing Devices engineer demonstrates the display`s sunlight readability by shining a halogen lamp right next the screen. The display is still legible, he continues.
Computing Devices engineers also consulted with individual AWACS operators while designing the display console. User inputs included the QWERTY keyboard and changing the console from a 100-part vertical desk that folds up to a seven-part pinlock device that slides in and out.
The new device has a 160-degree horizontal and vertical viewing angle, and an operating temperature of -40 to 50 degrees Celsius. Its storage temperature is -55 to 85 C. Display formats include VGA, SVGA, XGA, and SXGA.
The 2010-AM(A) is lighter than the CRT it replaces and takes up less space; the computer is behind the flat panel instead of below, thereby simplifying the tasks for maintenance personnel, Fournier explains.
The color display is also in production for various Canadian military programs — including naval and land combat vehicle applications. The display has more than 400 contracted deliveries. Integrators can tailor it for airborne, shipboard, or land requirements, Computing Devices officials say.
Additional options include a waterfall solution, de-interlacing for NTSC operation, touch control overlays, optical filters for specific applications, and bezels with integrated switches.
For more information on the 2010-AM(A) or Computing Devices Canada contact John Fournier by phone at 613-596-7000, by fax at 613-820-5081, by mail at Computing Devices Canada, 3785 Richmond Road, Nepean, Ontario, Canada K2H 5B7, by e-mail at [email protected], or on the World Wide Web at http://www.computingdevices.com.
The 2010-AM(A) flat panel display from Computing Devices Canada will fly on the NATO AWACS fleet
