Finmeccanica-Alenia Aermacchi has selected Esterline CMC Electronics (CMC) to provide the flight management system (FMS) for its worldwide C-27J Spartan fleet and for Team Spartan’s offering for the upcoming FWSAR (Fixed-Wing Search and Rescue Replacement) Program.

Esterline CMC Electronics was also recently selected to supply its TacView® Portable Mission Display and SureSight® Enhanced Vision System sensor for Team Spartan in Canada.

The company, headquartered in Montreal, has over 100 years of experience providing high-technology electronics products, facilities in Ottawa and Montreal, and over 1,000 employees across Canada.  CMC’s high-performance FMS systems are already at the heart of the Canadian Department of National Defence A310 Polaris fleet upgrade Program.

CMC’s Flight Management System selected by Alenia Aermacchi is fully certified for use in commercial aviation and military aviation aircraft. It combines both the flight management and the ARINC 739 MCDU control display unit functions in the same cockpit mounted enclosure. It incorporates not only the flight navigation features, but also provides control and display for external subsystems. It is unique among FMS equipment offered for retrofit applications as it provides tactical procedures as well as several fully certified FMS-resident functions to support future CNS/ATM and GATM functionalities, which will be progressively introduced over the coming years (2014-2020).

“The addition of CMC as the provider of the flight management system reinforces Team Spartan’s commitment to building and strengthening a strong Canadian supply chain and leverages the strong avionics and system integration capabilities of Esterline CMC Electronics,” said Ben Stone, president and chief executive officer of Alenia Aermacchi North America. “This premiere flight management system will greatly enhance the C-27J’s capabilities for the FWSAR mission.”

Greg Yeldon, president, Esterline CMC Electronics, added, “This is a prestigious recognition for us, to be selected by a world-class OEM as the FMS provider for their worldwide fleet requirements. It is a gratifying endorsement of our core navigational expertise, at a time when CNS/ATM requirements will drive avionics modernization programs in both commercial and military aircraft in both the short term and foreseeable future.”

The C-27J is a solution that meets the demands of the country’s incredibly large area of SAR responsibility with a single aircraft fleet.  Along with a capable aircraft, Team Spartan’s FWSAR solution comes with a commitment to deliver 100% of contract value industrial offsets and benefits in the form of hundreds of long-term jobs and far-reaching investments in Canadian firms and technology.

Alenia Aermacchi