Glass Cockpit Upgrade For Advanced Jet Trainers
The first of three advanced Hawk Mk66 trainers undergoing
upgrades for the Finnish Air Force has been completed and delivered
by Esterline CMC Electronics (CMC). The company was selected by
prime contractor Patria, Finland, to perform a glass cockpit
upgrade of the fleet of BAE Systems Hawk Mk66 advanced jet trainers
for the Finnish Air Force, which purchased 18 ex-Swiss Air Force
Hawk Mk66 aircraft in 2007 to add to their fleet of Hawk Mk51s.
CMC was selected by Patria to supply its integrated glass
Cockpit 4000 for the avionics upgrade of Hawk Mk51 trainers for the
Finnish Air Force in January 2007. The final deliveries were
recently made for this program. On completion of this new contract,
the Finnish Air Force will have a fleet of 26 upgraded Hawks,
consisting of 18 Mk66 and eight Mk51 advanced trainers.
The Hawk provides basic and advanced training at Kauhava Air
Base for pilots destined for the F-18C and F-18D equipped
front-line squadrons. The contract covers the adaptation of CMC's'
Cockpit 4000 integrated avionics suite for the Hawk M66 trainer
aircraft. The upgrade aims to further increase the quality of
flight training, by improving the Hawk jet trainers' training
efficiency and extending the training that is currently carried out
on Hawk aircraft. The Finnish Air Force has already noted the
advantages provided by the Hawk Mk51 upgrade in advanced training
and savings. The BAE Systems Hawk Mk51 first entered service with
the Finnish Air Force in 1980.
"CMC's integrated glass Cockpit 4000 avionics suite is designed
specifically to lower training costs while offering superior
training capabilities and, if required, to provide an operational
weapons delivery role," said Greg Yeldon, president, Esterline CMC
Electronics. "By utilizing CMC's advanced cockpit avionics, fast
jet pilot training, from basic to advanced level, can be performed
using a single training platform, resulting in significant
savings."
Lassi Matikainen, president of Patria's aviation business unit,
added: "This modernization significantly improves the usage of the
Finnish Air Force (FINAF) Mk66 fleet in today's demanding military
pilot training. It also strengthens Patria's capabilities to
support FINAF as a strategic partner in the area of OFP
(operational flight program) software development. The feedback
received from pilots operating with upgraded Hawk Mk51s at FINAF
Flight Academy in Kauhava has been extremely positive. Patria,
together with Esterline CMC Electronics, look forward to providing
this competitive upgrade solution to other Hawk Mk50/60 series
users".
The Patria upgrade core avionics comprise CMC's powerful
open-architecture mission computer, a wide field of view
SparrowHawk Head-Up Display (HUD) and Up Front Control Panel, two
5x7 inch Multifunction Displays (one in each cockpit), and a HUD
repeater for the rear seat instructor in each aircraft. In
addition, the avionics suite features mature and proven operational
flight programs that integrate the aircraft sensors, radios and
weapons systems to provide a wide range of navigation and mission
requirements. CMC's standardized avionics solution minimizes the
integration effort required for aircraft installation - a key
factor in reducing costs for customers. (Photo Credit Derek
Bower)