On board A350 XWB - Thales Group

On board A350 XWB
www.thalesgroup.com

Main events
January 2008 : Thales is selected by Airbus on a large avionics shipset and for electrical power conversion.
End 2009 : Thales starts to deliver the first IMA elements to Airbus and partners in charge of developing software
functions.
April 2010 : Thales IFE is selected for the cabin.
2012 :
• February: A350 XWB engine flies for the 1st time on A380 flying test bed; Thales is onboard with few equipments
including the ADIRU.
• August 2nd: Cockpit power-on.
• 2nd half 2012: Thales delivers pieces of equipment ready for first flight.
Since 2009 up to May 2013 : 1529 pieces of equipment delivered to Airbus.
June 2013 : A350 XWB first flight.
Thales, an Airbus strong partner onboard A350 XWB
Relation between Airbus and Thales reaches a new step with the new A350 XWB program. Thales is selected in 2008
to design and deliver avionics solutions for this new long range aircraft: interactive control and display system, integrated
modular avionics (IMA), air data and inertial reference unit, as well as electrical power conversion.
Besides, Thales contributes to doors and slides management system and Slats and Flaps control computer developed
and delivered to Airbus by Diehl Aerospace.
On top of that, Thales is selected for the cabin with IFE and connectivity systems.
This program is managed in Toulouse for avionics perimeter and involves all other French Thales Avionics entities: Meudon,
Châtellerault, Bordeaux/Le Haillan, Vendôme and Valence, with hundreds of people dedicated to this program.
Thales technologies onboard
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Thales technologies on board
Displays and interactivity
With the advent of the A380 and now the A350 XWB, the
main change in the cockpit has been the shift to large
display screens. Thales fits A380 cockpits with ten main
screens, eight of which deal with avionics-related information,
the remaining two being On-board Information System
(OIS) displays, covering outside and open information
relating to weather, traffic, etc.
The A350 XWB will feature fewer but larger display systems
than the A380. Thales will be supplying six 15in (38cm)
rectangular screens and the Keyboard Cursor Control Unit
(KCCU) which is one of the interface with Flight Management
System. The cockpit configuration has two central
displays mounted, one above the other and a single display
in front of each pilot with an on-board information
system screen adjacent to it. There are no differences in the
functionalities between these lateral and central displays
as, unlike the A380 configuration, all the displays can be
used for both types of information.
The A350 XWB features an integrated system bringing together
so-called “open world” and “closed world” (secure
avionics) information, enabling the optimized management
of information to allow the pilots to work efficiently
together. For instance, they can bring information from the
lateral screens to the central ones to allow them to work
together on a particular piece of information. The advantage
of having common screens means that the pilot can
use the KCCU to interface with the OIS.
With the new A350 XWB, if one of the screens fails, the cockpit
displays are automatically reconfigured to use the lateral
displays. The fact that all six screens can be used for all information
within the cockpit is an important factor for airlines, as
it will help to maintain high aircraft dispatch availability levels.
The new cockpit display system achieves simplified and
streamlined interactivity with the entire system.
Overall, the A350 XWB cockpit has been designed as a
natural evolution of the A380 cockpit, with the aim of ensuring
continuity throughout the range. An A380 pilot will
need just minimal amounts of training to be able to transfer
to the new layout and functions of the A350 XWB. This
will result in a reduction in training costs and optimized use
of airline resources.
From the pilot’s standpoint, the large cockpit screens will
enable optimized information management and improved
situational awareness. Furthermore, the large screens
have future-proof product evolution characteristics and
provide the potential in the future for new types of displays
for future generations of Airbus aircraft.
Integrated Modular Avionics (IMA)
Thales’s Integrated Modular Avionics (IMA) solution represents
a real-time airborne computer network system.
This network consists of a number of computing modules
capable of supporting numerous applications of differing
criticality levels. The IMA is a major technical evolution of
global importance for airlines and operators.
Using new technologies, Thales has standardised and
reduced by half the number of CPIOMs (Core Processing
Inputs/Outputs Module) and CRDCs (Common Remote
Data Concentrator) – both of which are the main
building blocks of the IMA suite – meaning that the components
are easier to maintain, repair and stock.
Also, the number of functions hosted by the CPIOM
has been increased from 21 (A380) to 35 (A350 XWB).
For instance, the “doors and slides” function that was
previously handled by a specific computer is now managed
by the standard CPIOM. On top of that, the calculation
capacity of the CPIOM has been doubled, its
reliability increased and weight reduced.
The IMA represents a substantial leap along the path to
standardization and simplification, and the whole aircraft
is set to benefits.
Navigation System
Thales has also implemented a new navigation system.
The ADIRU (Air Data Inertial Reference Unit) defines
the position of the plane with high precision and accuracy.
Combined with a Flight Management System
and OANS (Onboard Airport Navigation System), it
will enable pilots to have the highest-possible precision
guidance tools at their disposal.
These technologies will enable the airlines to use SESAR
new procedures (example: 4D trajectories) as soon as
they will be available.
Head-up Display (HUD)
Thales’ HUD already available on all aircraft within the
Airbus Fly-By-Wire family. A single or dual configuration
will be available as a customer option in the A350
XWB catalogue.
New HUD provides a flexible platform for growth to
support new features such as Enhanced Vision Systems
(EVS) and potentially Surface Guidance System (SGS)
and Synthetic Vision Systems (SVS), in addition to offering
unique symbology entirely consistent with Airbus’
cockpit philosophy.
Press Contact
Thales, Media Relations - Civil Aerospace
Giaime Porcu
Tel: +33 6 88 23 84 79
giaime.porcu@thalesgroup.com
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