Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) has awarded CMC Electronics (CMC) a new contract for the modernization of the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) fleet of KA-1 trainer aircraft used for advanced mission training and light attack missions.
KAI was looking for a best-in-class cockpit upgrade to renew its products and provide ROKAF’s KA-1 fleet with more modern avionics with room for growth.
CMC worked closely with KAI to meet its request and proposed its state-of-the-art mission computer-based cockpit built on the PU-3000, which the company claims is the world’s first certified multicore mission computer.
The PU-3000 and its partitioned, embedded, software applications offer a flexible solution to integrate several conventional Multi-Functional Displays (MFDs) or a single Large Area Display (LAD) configuration as used in the KA-1 solution. The PU-3000 software development kit also allows KAI to develop specific proprietary mission applications on its own.
“This new contract is a timely and strategic development for all parties involved,” said Brad Nolen, Vice President, Sales and Marketing at CMC Electronics. “We believe that the upgraded KA-1 platform with a PU-3000 driven LAD interface will both increase aircraft availability and better prepare ROKAF pilots for their future modernized frontline fleet of KF-X fighters.”
Jae Min Park, Deputy Senior Manager, Aircraft Procurement team, added: “KAI is confident that the KA-1 avionics upgrade program will be successfully completed in a timely manner adding vastly improved system performance and capabilities to the KA-1 aircraft.”
CMC’s solution allows KAI’s trainer to emulate the advanced avionics of today’s cutting-edge fighter aircraft. The system employs the latest in cockpit management technology, resulting in better and more rapidly trained pilots at a lower cost than conventional training.
The PU-3000 avionics computer can host multiple avionics applications reducing equipment count and integration costs. Modular by design, it can be used as a common computing platform able to host a large variety of functions into a single unit and is capable of driving multiple screen sizes with the redundancy needed for flight critical functions.
