BAE Systems upgrades Taiwanese Air Force Indigenous Defense Fighter with 32-bit digital flight control computer
LOS ANGELES, 8 Nov. 2006. BAE Systems' new 32-bit digital flight control computer has completed its first flight aboard the Taiwanese Air Force Indigenous Defense Fighter (IDF) C/D version, also known as the Shiang-Seng Fighter.
The new flight control computer represents an advance in processing power and control capability over the obsolete 16-bit computer it replaces.
BAE Systems worked closely with AIDC, builder of the all-weather, multi-role IDF, since the program's inception in1985. The flight control system has been improved in several phases, with the latest development contract awarded in 2002.
"With this system, BAE Systems brings the state-of-the art 32-bit PowerPC-based processor to the flight control marketplace," says Albert Lin, program manager for IDF flight control systems for BAE Systems in Los Angeles. The system provides faster processing and computing capability, higher reliability, and integration with the aircraft's air data, avionics, and head-up display systems.
Taiwan's Air Force plans to use the new computer to upgrade to existing IDF fleets and on new-build aircraft. The upgraded flight control is part of an overall aircraft system performance upgrade that includes increased range and enhanced radar target acquisition, firepower, and flight control performance.
