Vanguard Magazine

Vanguard April/May 2023

Preserving capacity, General Tom Lawson, Chief of the Defence Staff, Keys to Canadian SAR

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L3Harris has designed an integrated solu- tion adding new capabilities like Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS- B) In & Out, additional Required Navi- gation Performance (RNP) capabilities, traffic awareness and collision avoidance, synthetic mapping display vision and ter- rain alert, electronic flight bag (EFB) iPad charging and Bluetooth flight-plan upload- ing capabilities, updated visual and aural warnings for engine and on-board systems through an Engine Indicating and Crew Alerting System (EICAS), Cockpit Voice Recording and Flight Data Recording (CVR/FDR) capability and an integrated acoustic location beacon. The avionics up- grade is also addressing obsolescence issues by replacing a significant amount of legacy components and provides compliance to the new TCCA and Federal Aviation Ad- ministration regulations for ADS-B Out and new RCAF CVR/FDR policy. A Successful Program The CT-114 TLE 2020+ Avionics Up- grade program has successfully passed all the required design, installation, ground and experimental flight test readiness re- views. This design effort required excel- lent cooperation among all stakehold- ers, including 431 Air Demonstration Squadron (the Snowbirds), 2 Canadian Air Division (2 CAD), the Directorate of Technical Airworthiness and Engineering Support (DTAES), the Director of Flight Safety (DFS), the Director Of Aerospace Engineering Program Management - Fighters and Trainers (DAEPM FT) Pro- gram Management Office (PMO) and the L3Harris team consisting of systems engineers, structural engineers, experts in cybersecurity, airworthiness, publishing, logistics, purchasing and training, as well as program and financial analysts. To enable an efficient design and test- ing process for the upgrade, L3Harris de- signed and commissioned a systems inte- gration laboratory (SIL) to stimulate and integrate the various new systems with the legacy equipment, thus identifying and addressing issues early in the program. In addition, wiring routing and structures installation trials were performed on a de- commissioned aircraft at L3Harris' facility in Mirabel. Extensive use of 3D scanning and 3D printing allowed for rapid proto- typing and testing prior to the final fabrica- tion drawings release and the start of pro- totype installation kit production. These initiatives and early problem resolution al- lowed the first installation to be performed efficiently and with minimal amendments. In addition to producing the design, L3Harris amended the aircraft technical orders, produced the certification data package and provided airworthiness dele- gates in numerous fields of expertise. They also manufactured the installation kits and the installation instructions. The kits are being installed by IMP Aerospace at Cana- dian Forces Base (CFB) Trenton, Ontario. Another Key Milestone The CT-114 TLE 2020+ Avionics Up- grade program recently passed another key milestone in March 2023 with the successful completion of the Experimen- tal Test and Evaluation (ET&E) flight test www.vanguardcanada.com APRIL/MAY 2023 27 P E R S P E C T I V E Sponsored Content program. These ground and flight tests were performed from CFB Trenton by the Aerospace Engineering Test Establishment (AETE) with support from all the other stakeholders. The multidisciplinary team will now work to achieve full airworthiness certification while additional aircraft are being modified. This program, which is ultimately bringing the aircraft to an integrated glass cockpit so- lution, will allow the CT-114 Tutor to be operated in compliance with the latest con- trolled airspace requirements across North America while also increasing the safety and maintainability of the aircraft systems. "The unique show season of the Snowbirds adds an additional challenge to this already demanding program, but I am very pleased that the L3Harris team, in conjunction with the Department of National Defence and all the involved stakeholders, has successfully passed the ET&E milestone," added Panico- ni. "This is proof that we are well on our way to complete airworthiness certification and have the upgraded fleet ready for the 431 Air Demonstration Squadron." L3Harris: A One-Stop Shop This successful project is another great ex- ample showing that L3Harris is the pre- ferred one-stop shop for aircraft avionics, systems and structural modifications and upgrades. Its workforce and expertise allow all aspects of aircraft modifications, from engineering and design, airworthiness certi- fication, kit manufacturing and installation, testing, integrated logistics and publications to be addressed in a seamless and integrated fashion on budget and schedule. L3Harris has designed an integrated solution adding several new capabilities to the CT-114 Tutor. In March 2023, the CT-114 TLE 2020+ Avionics Upgrade program passed another key milestone, the successful completion of the ET&E flight test program.

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