Air Force chooses cockpit management unit from Avalex for F-16 jet fighter avionics upgrade
GULF BREEZE, Fla. – U.S. Air Force jet fighter avionics experts needed a cockpit management unit as part of the F-16 communications suite modernization program. They found their solution from Avalex Technologies in Gulf Breeze, Fla.
Representatives of Avalex Technologies have announced that the Air Force has awarded the company a contract to provide the new-generation ACM9454V cockpit management unit as part of the F-16 cockpit avionics upgrade.
The Avalex ACM9454V is part of the Air Force Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) program, which will deliver a tenfold increase in the real-time, global digital SATCOM throughput capabilities for all blocks of F-16 jet fighter avionics, Avalex officials say.
MUOS is a is a UHF narrowband military satellite communications (SATCOM) system that provides increased communications capabilities to newer, smaller terminals while still supporting interoperability with legacy terminals. MUOS is designed to support users who require greater mobility, higher bit rates, and improved operational availability.
“Once implemented, the number of available SATCOM channels will increase by 10-fold, giving our pilots much greater connectivity in tomorrow’s battlespace,” says Tony Hatten, vice president of business development at Avalex.
Hatten explained that along with being a key part of the F-16 MUOS upgrade, the ACM9454V offers other key advantages including acting as a single-point controller for any type of radio system, which eliminates the need for pilots to receive training on multiple voice and data communications systems.
“Another advantage of the Avalex Technologies cockpit management unit is that it is a commercial off the shelf (COTS) solution,” Hatten says. “That means there is no added development cost or development cycle time required for the implementation program.
The Avalex ACM9454V cockpit management unit is a drop-in replacement for current ARC-210 full-size cockpit controllers; is software-upgradable for control of MUOS digital networking radios; offers a full-color sunlight-readable NVIS-A compatible display; offers a common radio user interface with standby and active tuning; and provides an interface to 10 common ARC-210 and other military radios, as well as IFF transponders, TACAN, and SAR direction finders, company officials say.
The Avalex ACM9454 cockpit management unit measures 5.75 by 4.88 inches; weighs 2.4 pounds, has a display area of 5 inches. It operates in temperatures from -40 to 55 degrees Celsius, has a 28-volt DC input, offers 640-by-640-pixel resolution, has two Ethernet ports, and one CAN bus port.
For more information contact Avalex Technologies online at https://avalex.com.
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