AgustaWestland and Honeywell are introducing a new “Phase 7” version of the Primus Epic avionics suite for the AW139 rotorcraft. The upgrade, which will be available soon for new-build aircraft as well as for retrofit, is about more than modernizing the operating procedures of the avionics, it marks a step-change in the manufacturer’s approach to developing the cockpits of its growing family of aircraft.
According to Dario Ianucci, project leader for the new AW189 and AW169 programs, AgustaWestland has taken control of avionics integration back in-house so that it can be sure that customers get what they really want. The key principle for cockpit development at the company is now maximizing flexibility for operational requirements by using open architecture built on the Arinc 664 AFDX high speed data bus. That also permits changes that can be quickly and easily applied via field-loadable software. Also fundamental is the desire to achieve a common avionics platform right across the AgustaWestland product family.
