Honeywell Selected To Supply Key Avionics And Mechanical Systems For New Gulfstream G650 Business Jet

New Content Will Include First Business Jet Application of Honeywell’s RDR4000 3-D Weather Radar and Next Generation FMS

New FMS and IPFD To Be Standard Equipment

Suite of Synthetic Vision, RAAS, EGPWS, and RDR4000 Will Offer Enhanced Safety For G650 Operators

PHOENIX. -- Honeywell (NYSE: HON) announced today that it will supply a broad suite of new avionics and mechanical systems for the all new Gulfstream G650 aircraft.

The value of the contract is estimated at $3 billion including aftermarket sales over the life of the platform.

The company will be providing the first business jet application of its Next Generation Flight Management System (NGFMS), previously announced for the Boeing 747-8, as well as its RDR4000 turbulence certified weather radar that is in service on the Airbus A380 and Air Force C-17 aircraft.

Honeywell’s NGFMS incorporates software development methods which allow faster incorporation and certification of new functionality. The software is designed to accommodate the planned features of the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NGATS) and Single European Sky ATM Research (SESAR) functionality. Gulfstream G650 pilots will have access to a host of new flight management capabilities such as Continuous Path Guidance, Required Time of Arrival (RTA), Display of Engine-out Drift-Down, Display of Curved-Path Transitions for all Legs, and more, giving flight crews the benefit of reduced approach times while saving fuel and reducing emissions. This breakthrough flight management system will allow Gulfstream to tailor this new FMS to meet increasing flight efficiency needs today and well into the future.

Other new avionics products for the new G650 include dual five inch LCD Standby Multifunction Controllers (SMC), triple Laseref VI Inertial Reference Systems and the MCS-7120 Satellite Communication System (SATCOM).

“As an industry leader, Honeywell is the only supplier capable of providing the broad suite of avionics capabilities for business aviation’s premier business jet,” said Rob Wilson, President, Business Aviation, Honeywell Aerospace. “Our safety suite of RDR4000 weather radar, Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS), Gulfstream’s Synthetic Vision-Primary Flight Display (SV-PFD) based on Honeywell’s Integrated Primary Flight Display (IPFD) and our Runway Awareness and Advisory System (RAAS) will help make the G650 one of the safest aircraft in modern aviation. Our advanced Primus Epic system provides flexibility and growth unmatched in other business jet applications, assuring G650 operators will be able to incorporate future new functionality as it is developed.”

The Primus Epic based Planeview® II cockpit suite for the G650 will also include four large 14” LCD cockpit displays, INAV, Integrated EICAS and system displays, dual Automatic Flight Control System with Flight Director functions, dual Autothrottle functions, dual radio system with a third NAV/COM, Communication Management Function and a Central Maintenance Computer. The systems’ processors and network have also been upgraded to support high speed database loading and growth for the future making it easier to update flight data on the aircraft.
Two new Standby Multifunction Controllers (SMC), mounted in the glare shield will serve a dual role as both the Display Controller and Standby Instrument Display. The new SMC replaces its monochrome predecessor with a full Color LCD display that offers cross cockpit viewability. Developed using Honeywell’s latest modeling techniques, these units offer advanced LED backlighting, consume far less power than their predecessor and are designed to allow rapid introduction of new features.

The G650 offers the longest range, fastest speed, largest cabin and the most advanced cockpit in the Gulfstream fleet. It is capable of traveling 7,000 nautical miles at 0.85 Mach or 5,000 nautical miles at 0.90 Mach. Using an advanced aerodynamic design, the G650 has a maximum operating speed of 0.925 Mach, which will make it the fastest civil aircraft flying. It can climb to a maximum altitude of 51,000 feet, allowing it to avoid airline-traffic congestion and adverse weather.

“The RDR-4000 is the first and only 3-Dimensional (3-D) weather radar system in the industry, currently used in the B777 and A380, and will now be the first radar of its kind to be standard equipment in a business jet,” said Brian Sill, Vice President, Gulfstream Programs, Honeywell Aerospace. “Adverse weather is a factor in one-third of all aircraft accidents and turbulence is the leading cause of in-flight injuries to passengers and crew. The enhanced turbulence detection of the RDR-4000 provides earlier and more accurate alerting for these events.”

Another first for the RDR-4000 is predictive windshear detection for corporate aircraft. Micro-burst wind shears present a hazard to aircraft and have caused numerous fatal accidents over the years. Previously, radar detection and alerting for micro-burst wind shear events was only available in air transport category aircraft where antenna sizes are larger. The RDR-4000 now provides predictive wind shear alerting for business aircraft. The new G650 will be the first corporate aircraft to be equipped with a radar that will alert the crew to windshear events in their flight path.

Other key advancements to the RDR-4000 system include the 3-D volumetric scanning. Conventional systems provide information in two dimensions—direction and range. Even recent multiple-scan systems are only able to provide a two-dimensional weather picture to the pilot. The RDR-4000 automatically scans a volume ahead of the aircraft from the nose out to 320 nautical miles, and from the ground to 60,000 feet, or more than 1.5 million cubic miles. The data provides altitude information for automatic flight plan and flight path weather detection and for the vertical analysis of storms. Knowing both the lateral and vertical location of weather, and knowing it earlier than existing available systems will allow pilots to avoid last minute diversions that waste time and fuel. The result is safer and more efficient routing than other weather radar systems can offer.

“The RDR-4000’s patented 3-D scanning technology introduces new capabilities including Terrain-Based Digital Ground Clutter extraction for removing ground returns, automatic compensation for the earth curvature, presenting a true weather picture out to 320 nautical miles,” Sill said. “It also includes a unique vertical profile view of weather ahead of the aircraft that can be presented simultaneously with the normal radar view. Having the full weather picture means flight crew will not have to guess where the hazards are based on one or two radar scans anywhere they fly in the world.”

The Gulfstream SV-PFD on the G650, based on Honeywell IPFD™ technology, will be the only synthetic vision technology offered as standard equipment, a first in the aerospace world and it is first Part 25 certified Synthetic Vision system and is available today as options for the Gulfstream G350, G450, G500 and G550 aircraft.
“I think the choice of making SV-PFD standard on the G650 is a tribute to the technology advancement brought by Honeywell in the safety arena,” Wilson said. “Honeywell’s IPFD ™ improves the Primary Flight Display (PFD) by fusing terrain data and advanced HUD symbology, giving the flight crew unprecedented situational awareness using the most tested and reliable terrain database available.” Honeywell’s IPFD was awarded “Best Business Aviation” product by Flight International in 2007, was recognized by R&D as one of the top 100 inventions in 2007 and was recently reported on the CBS Evening News.

The MCS-7120 Multi-Channel Satcom provides a single-box solution that seamlessly integrates with the Primus Epic based Planeview® II cockpit, enabling global cockpit voice and data communications with Safety Services (FANS/CNS/ATM functionality).

Honeywell will also provide a broad suite of mechanical systems including its industry recognized RE220 APU, environmental control and cabin pressure control system components and air turbine starter.

The Gulfstream GV was the launch platform for the RE220 that now includes an all new Full Authority Digital Electronic Control that reduces weight and delivers improved reliability. The APU design includes an effusion cooled low emission combustor, 40 kVa of electrical capability up to 45,000 feet for business jet applications, and a Foreign Object Damage (FOD) resistant radial impeller. The RE220 APU uses an eductor cooling system reducing APU weight, improving reliability and APU compartment cooling while reducing operational noise signature.
The APU will deliver a bleed air flow of more than 100 pounds per minute (45kg/min) at 103 degrees Fahrenheit at sea level for main engine starting and air conditioning. The APU will start to 43,000 feet and operate to 45,000 feet for Gulfstream applications.

The Environmental Control System (ECS) and Cabin Pressure Control System (CPCS) have been developed for this aircraft as an integrated air management system. The ECS is being optimized to provide improved cabin comfort both on the ground and in key flight modes. The CPCS provides improved cabin comfort through class-leading cabin altitude (4850 ft compared to 6000ft standard), utilizes proven thrust recovery (range enhancement) technology from the G550 and G450, and offers more efficient functionality integration with avionics by incorporating selector panel functions in the cockpit.