Category: Avionics

Shift5, the observability platform for onboard operational technology (OT), announced Shift5 Manifold 10, the only configurable, passive serial bus interface designed to monitor, capture, and analyze high-volume data from up to 100 serial channels onboard modern aircraft at the edge. A key component of the Shift5 Platform, the bus-agnostic Manifold 10 enables real-time data access, contextual insights, actionable analytics, and alerting, facilitating smarter, faster decision-making so operators and maintainers can meet the rigorous cybersecurity and maintenance demands of modern aircraft.

Manifold 10 is now available for U.S. defense sector aircraft. Shift5 is in active pursuit of filing requests for FAA Supplemental Type Certificates (STC) to make Manifold 10 available for Bombardier and Boeing aircraft, collectively representing thousands of in-service aircraft globally.

“Modern aircraft generate tremendous volumes of data, most of which goes uncollected, meaning its value is never realized. That data holds critical insights about the operating condition of the aircraft that can save time and money, but operators and maintainers are limited to little to no visibility of this invaluable information,” said Egon Rinderer, CTO, Shift5. “With Manifold 10, operators can gain a comprehensive understanding of what happens aboard the aircraft across their entire fleet, enabling airlines to improve fleet availability, safety, and reduce time an aircraft is grounded. Every bit of data across all buses and protocols is now able to be captured, retained and analyzed.”

Manifold 10’s processing and continuous onboard data monitoring capabilities go beyond those of traditional aircraft data capture and analysis solutions:

• Edge Computing: By processing and analyzing data directly onboard, at the edge, Manifold 10 minimizes decision latency, reduces the dependency on ground-based systems, and ensures that operators and maintainers have the most information required to make the most well-informed decisions.
• Data Collection: Equipped with up to 32GB of SDRAM and 8TB of storage, Manifold 10 can process in real-time and store thousands of hours of high-volume data streams.
• Real-Time Monitoring and Analysis: Designed to monitor onboard data continuously to detect anomalies that might otherwise only be detected in post-flight data analysis, Manifold 10 helps operators and maintainers react and respond faster to critical maintenance and cyber alerts, like GPS spoofing or jamming, so they can keep aircraft safer and more secure.
• Compliant and Compatible: Manifold 10’s efficient operation within specified power consumption parameters and certification under RTCA/DO-160G standards ensures reliable and high-performance data processing. Packaged in an ARINC 600 2 MCU form factor, Manifold 10 is compatible with standard aviation systems.

Manifold 10 features Ethernet ports configurable for ARINC 664, 100MB Ethernet, or 1GB Ethernet, alongside modular serial bus interfaces, enabling full-take data collection and monitoring across a diverse array and combination of channels and protocols. Manifold 10 can collect data from up to 100 serial channels, including ARINC 429, ARINC 717, ARINC 664, and Ethernet, and today supports CAN, CAN-FD, CAN-J1939, RS-232, RS-422, ASCB, UARB, RS-485, and MIL-STD 1553 protocols. It can be ordered in varying configurations to meet different operational needs, each with specific part numbers and varying numbers of ARINC and Ethernet connection data ports.

Manifold 10 is available alongside Manifold 4, which serves defense, commercial rail, and maritime customers. The Shift5 Platform uses the data collected and processed by Manifold 4 and 10 for a variety of use cases, supported by distinct modules:

The Shift5 Compliance Module automates compliance efforts for onboard fleet data by helping to ensure that it is processed, managed, and stored according to regulatory requirements and industry best practices. For example, compliance with FAA Advisory Circular 119-1A’s Aircraft Network Security Program (ANSP) requirements.

The Shif5 GPS Integrity Module provides sophisticated, multi-faceted detection and alerting for GPS spoofing attempts, helping to ensure the safety and reliability of navigation.

The Shift5 Predictive Maintenance Module provides data-driven insights needed to predict and schedule maintenance effectively, helping avoid critical failures before they happen so operators and maintainers can ensure the safety and performance of critical transportation and defense fleets.

The Shift5 Cybersecurity Module detects, identifies, and generates alerts for new anomalous activities and known threats in real time, enabling faster response and proactive mitigation of potential cybersecurity risks.

Learn more about Manifold 10 at shift5.io/manifold, or visit us at booth 2023 in the SIDO Made in the USA Partnership Pavilion in Hall 2 of the Farnborough International Airshow 2024 in Farnborough, UK.

CoreAVI announced that it has released enhancements to
its accelerated compute framework to further facilitate use of the AMD E9171 Radeon GPU capabilities and has extended the availability of the AMD E9171 Radeon GPU for the
aerospace and defense markets. CoreAVI continues to invest in the product portfolio and has
collaborated with AMD to ensure extended availability of this proven and popular discrete GPU
for the military and aerospace markets. With established flight worthiness and long-term
program supply, the E9171 power-efficient, compact GPU provides scalable compute and
graphics capabilities while meeting the SWaP (size, weight, power) constraints of high reliability
embedded systems.

The E9171 GPU paired with CoreAVI’s open standards-based Safe AI suite facilities safety critical
compute, AI and machine learning capabilities. CoreAVI’s VkCore SC Vulkan SC graphics and
compute product suite supports all MOSA requirements, is aligned with the latest FACE
specification and operates with commonly used real time operating systems.

CoreAVI offers an extended temperature-screened version of the AMD Radeon Embedded
E9171 GPU-based module along with DAL A certification evidence to support the needs of
safety critical avionics and other high reliability system manufacturers. The Radeon E9171
provides higher performance compared to the predecessor AMD Radeon E8860, with H.265
video encode/decode capabilities and 4 GB integrated memory (double that of the AMD
Radeon E8860) all in a lower power footprint, making it ideal for embedded applications.

“The AMD E9171 discrete GPU is used in the most advanced avionics systems globally and
continues to be a very popular option to be deployed by our customers that require high
reliability and safety certification. The E9171 GPU remains an integral part of our mil/aero
product portfolio. CoreAVI is pleased to extend our longevity of supply to further support our
customer’s critical programs,” said Dan Joncas, Deputy CEO at CoreAVI.

After the biggest turnout yet with 90 teams taking on 27 events, Southwest Airlines – Team Herb, topped them all to capture the William F. “Bill” O’Brien Award for Excellence in Aircraft Maintenance at The Competition Presented by Snap-on in Chicago in April.

“When Ken (MacTiernan) called our team, all the hard work, blood, sweat, and sacrifices we put into this effort really paid off,” said Chad Rhyne, coach of Southwest Airlines – Team Herb. “I want to thank Southwest’s upper management team, which is so supportive and willing to stand behind us all the way. I also want to thank our fellow competitors who continue pushing us to be better. It’s competitive, but everyone is here to support each other. I got as many high-fives from other teams as I did from my own.”

The crowning of Southwest Airlines – Team Herb, named after its founder Herb Kelleher, and one of two teams from Southwest in the field, capped off two days of excitement at The Competition, an aviation maintenance skills competition held at the MRO Americas convention last week in Chicago. As winners of the O’Brien Award, Rhyne and his team including David Swisher, Matt Lehner, Chase Lehner, Kevin Shaw, Chris Grover, and alternate Roy Luna, have the honor of taking the five-foot tall traveling trophy with them back to their headquarters at Love Field in Dallas for the year. The trophy features a bust of Charles E. Taylor, an aviation pioneer who built and maintained the first aircraft engine used by the Wright Brothers. Sponsorship of the Award is part of Snap-on’s continued commitment to The Competition and aviation maintenance technicians around the world.

“We were thrilled to see such a great turnout and incredible demonstration of skills,” said Bill Willetts, vice president of Snap-on Industrial and Aerospace Maintenance Council board member. “Every year, myself and the thousands of Snap-on team members worldwide are impressed with how these technicians continue to raise the bar. Congratulations to Southwest Airlines – Team Herb on your hard-fought victory and to the 89 other teams who came out to Chicago. The aviation industry is in great hands.”

Another historic moment at this year’s competition was the first all-female team announced as a finalist for the O’Brien Award. United Airlines Team Chix Fix originally formed in 2018 and has been a mainstay at The Competition ever since. However, it was revealed shortly before the convention that this would be the last year for the Chix.

“We came here to prove that women had a place in the aviation industry,” said Katrina Oyer of Team Chix Fix. “When we started there were only one or two other female teams, and now there are nearly 10 in this year’s field, including the first all-female military team. Our mission has been accomplished and it’s time to move on.”

The Competition Presented by Snap-on and hosted by the Aerospace Maintenance Council gives teams of licensed AMTs, AMEs, international military personnel, and qualified aviation maintenance students the chance to test their aviation maintenance skills against those of their peers. The competition included 27 challenges in areas such as avionics; safety wiring; fiber optics/flight control rigging; hydraulics; jet engine troubleshooting; workplace safety SMS; and other tasks. Teams had 15 minutes to accurately complete each task; teams that finished their tasks up to safety standards in less than the allotted time received higher scores with points deducted for any errors.

“There has been a lot of attention on aircraft maintenance lately,” said Ken MacTiernan, chairman of The Competition. “This year more than ever, our hope was to shine a light on the professionalism of the people in this field. Don’t let the fast pace of the timed events fool you. Precision is the name of the game, both at the event and in the field, and perfection is the minimum standard.”

Major Category Winners

William O’Brien Award

• 1st place: Southwest Airlines – Team Herb

• 2nd place: American Airlines – Team Tulsa

• 3rd place: United Airlines – Chix Fix

MRO/OEM Category

• 1st place: American Airlines – Team Tulsa

• 2nd place: FedEx Express

• 3rd place: United Airlines – Base

School Category

• 1st place: Tarrant County College

• 2nd place: George T. Baker Aviation Technical College

• 3rd place: Liberty University

Military Category

• 1st place: United States Army – 128th Aviation Brigade – Team Blackhawk

• 2nd place: United States Army – 128th Aviation Brigade – Team Chinook

• 3rd place: United States Air Force – 86th MXG, Ramstein ABGermany – Team 2

Commercial Category

• 1st place: Southwest Airlines – Team Herb

• 2nd place: United Airlines – Chix Fix

• 3rd place: United Airlines – Line

General Aviation Category

• 1st place: Victory Lane Aviation

• 2nd place: Aircraft Engineers International

• 3rd place: Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association

Peer Team Award

• Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association

Dream Team Award

• Embry-Riddle University

Professionalism Award

• Heather Behrent – United Airlines – Chix Fix

Professionalism Award (student)

• Mason Migliaro – Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics –
Myrtle Beach

United’s John Goglia Competing with Professionalism Awards

• Liberty University

• Tulsa Tech – Aerospace Academy

In addition to the William F. “Bill” O’Brien Award for Excellence in Aircraft Maintenance, Snap-on provided all the tools and equipment used by the participants during The Competition and donated more than $140,000 in tools and equipment prizes to top finishers. More than 50 other companies, educational institutions, community organizers, and countless individual volunteers contributed time, resources, prizes, product, and airline miles to make The Competition a success. Other top sponsors include American Airlines and Pratt & Whitney (Platinum); United Airlines, Teamsters and PPG (Gold).

Rolls-Royce and Turkish Airlines solidified their ongoing cooperation to support and grow Türkiye’s position in the global aerospace industry. Tufan Erginbilgic, CEO of Rolls-Royce, and Prof. Ahmet Bolat, chairman of the board and the executive committee of Turkish Airlines, signed a joint statement at a ceremony held at the Turkish Airlines headquarters in Istanbul. In attendance were the ministers of Industry & Technology, Trade, Transport & Infrastructure, and the deputy minister of National Defence. Also present were the representatives of top Turkish Aerospace companies as well as the British Consul General, and undersecretaries of France and Spain. They were joined by Guillaume Faury, CEO Airbus, Christian Scherer, Airbus commercial CEO, and Rob Watson, president Civil Aerospace, Rolls-Royce.

“Türkiye is a strategically important market for Rolls-Royce across our business,” said Tufan Erginbilgic, CEO, Rolls-Royce. “We are very pleased with the confidence that Turkish Airlines has placed in our Trent XWB engines. We now look forward to working with Turkish Airlines and our partners to use our extensive aerospace engineering experience to benefit the Turkish economy, grow the country’s skills base and expand its role in the energy transition. I am personally very energised by the strengthening relationship between our great company, Turkish Airlines and the Republic of Türkiye.”

The joint statement follows the historic Turkish Airlines order for 80 Airbus A350 aircraft. That deal makes Turkish Airlines the world’s largest operator of the Trent XWB, which powers the Airbus A350, and included an order for 120 Trent XWB-84 engines and 40 Trent XWB-97 engines, excluding options and spares.

Pratt & Whitney announced a $20 million investment to increase the GTF maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) capacity of its West Palm Beach Engine Center. The expansion will accommodate a 40% increase in capacity and is expected to be complete by the second half of 2025.

To accommodate the planned growth, the facility will increase its workforce by 25% over the next year and will add critical equipment in areas such as machining, test, clean, and warehousing. It will also incorporate transformative technologies developed at the recently announced North American Technology Accelerator.

“The expansion at West Palm Beach is the latest example of our global investment to support the GTF fleet,” said Kevin Kirkpatrick, vice president of global aftermarket operations at Pratt & Whitney. “We remain steadfast in our commitment to support customers and maintain their trust as we carry out the GTF fleet management plan.”

West Palm Beach was transformed into a fully capable GTF MRO engine center in mid-2021. It was the first Pratt & Whitney facility to adopt an automated system that assembles the high-pressure compressor (HPC) rotor and a refined overhead engine handling system. Since implementation, Pratt & Whitney has seen a more than 25% improvement in HPC rotor yield and a 50% reduction in process turnaround time.

In 2023, Pratt & Whitney announced three GTF MRO facility expansions and five shop activations to support the growing GTF fleet. There are currently 16 active GTF MRO engine centers around the world, with another three expected to come online by 2025.

Embraer and Horizon Air signed a contract for the Embraer Collaborative Inventory Planning (ECIP), a customized expendables spare parts inventory management program. Embraer says the program is designed to help customers reduce operational costs by optimizing inventory levels. The agreement guarantees support for 41 E175 from Horizon Air fleet operating at the company hub in Portland, Oregon. The contract also includes nine E175s to be delivered, totaling 50 aircraft covered. All the jets are flown by Horizon Air under the Alaska Airlines flag.

“We are very pleased to welcome Horizon Air to the Embraer Collaborative Inventory Planning. ECIP was designed to help our customers gain efficiency and reduce inventory costs in all operations. This is even more important for airlines with large fleets and fast growth like Horizon Air,” said Carlos Naufel, president and CEO, Embraer Services & Support.

Embraer says ECIP offers several advantages to their customers. Most of the inventory investment is done by Embraer, reducing the investment usually carried by airlines. Fixed yearly pricing for each part allows customers to balance costs more precisely at guaranteed performance levels by Embraer Services & Support. The operation is data-driven, with a weekly ordering recommendation based on customer usage and stock level data that is created utilizing software and Embraer Planning experience shared collaboratively.

AAR has signed an extension and expansion of its V2500 engine component distribution agreement with Sumitomo Precision Products Co., Ltd. (SPP).

Under the agreement, AAR has extended its exclusive agreement to distribute the V2500 pneumatic starter and starter control valve on behalf of SPP for the life of the program. The contract also expands AAR’s exclusive distributorship with the addition of all V2500 starter/valve subcomponents.

“AAR is proud to expand and extend our support of Sumitomo Precision Products on this critical engine component,” said Paige Immordino, AAR’s vice president of distribution – commercial. “We continuously explore opportunities to simplify the supply chain for our customers. By expanding this agreement to include global piece part support, we can serve as a designated source for their V2500 pneumatic starter and starter control valve needs.”

“This relationship enables us to better serve V2500 operators and repair facilities through compressed lead times, 24/7 AOG support, and global stocking locations,” said Kenro Itakura, executive vice president, GM of Aerospace Division. “AAR has been a valued partner to Sumitomo Precision Products since 2017, and we are pleased to extend our distribution relationship through this agreement.”

Working in conjunction with the Augusta Regional Airport (AGS), Augusta Economic Development Authority, and the state of Georgia, StandardAero announced the addition of an 80,500 square foot hangar expansion at the company’s Augusta Business Aviation MRO facility. The construction is expected to be completed in 2025.

“The new facility will add over 60% of new space to our existing footprint,” said Chris Bodine, VP/GM of StandardAero’s Augusta facility. “The current facility was built in the 1970s, when aircraft were a lot smaller. The new facility will allow us to support additional super mid-size to large cabin aircraft for airframe and avionics while also significantly expanding our engine shop to further support many of those aircraft.

“We are very thankful to the Augusta Airport, City of Augusta and the state of Georgia for their generous outreach and support for building this new facility,” said Tony Brancato, president of StandardAero Business Aviation. “The expansion will allow us to work on larger Dassault, Gulfstream, and Bombardier aircraft and also meet the rapidly growing MRO needs of HTF7000 series engine operators.”

“We are ecstatic about StandardAero’s expansion,” said Herbert L. Judon Jr., AGS’s executive director. “This project is the largest business development announcement in generations. This expansion is a key building block for future airport growth. We are very fortunate to have partnerships, both private and public, that work closely together to bring this to fruition. The expansion will not only generate significant regional economic impact, but it will also provide support to our efforts to educate local youth and increase workforce development.”

“I’m excited about StandardAero’s continued investment in South Richmond County. The expansion of their facilities includes hangar space for aircraft and avionics maintenance, repair, and overhaul work, an additional engine shop, offices, increased parking, and more,” Augusta mayor Garnett Johnson said. “It will also allow StandardAero to work on larger aircraft. As a small business owner and supporter of local business, I am proud that construction of the 80,500 square foot facility will be conducted by local firms. This expansion will lead to increased economic impact, job creation, and career pathways for our youth. My goal continues to be moving Augusta forward, and I’m thrilled about the opportunity to partner with organizations that are interested in developing and improving our community.”

To get the facility built, the AGS Airport/Augusta Economic Development Authority (AEDA) has secured a grant for site prep work and construction and over a 10-year period the state of Georgia will apply job tax credits for incremental employees added to the site plus additional incentives.

“This is an exciting time for StandardAero and this expansion will allow us to grow and better serve our customers for the next 50 years,” Brancato added.