Lockheed Martin has selected Harris Corporation (NYSE:HRS) to upgrade mission system avionics for the F-35 Lightning II as part of the Technology Refresh #3 (TR3) program, significantly boosting the aircraft’s data storage, display processing and throughput capabilities.
The announcement was made during the International Paris Air Show being held June 19-25 in Le Bourget.
Harris will provide the Aircraft Memory System (AMS) and Panoramic Cockpit Display Electronic Unit (PCD EU), which are based on open architecture and commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) technology. The AMS provides solid-state mass storage capability for the F-35 aircraft avionics subsystems. It is the repository for avionics operational flight programs, mission and theater data, prognostics and health data, audio, display video, and aircraft parametric data. The PCD EU provides processing for the panoramic head-down display in the cockpit.
“The new TR3 electronics pave the way for system upgrades well into the future. Open systems are the future of avionics and Harris is investing substantial R&D to develop these solutions. These awards affirm the military’s approach to open systems architecture and Harris’ commitment to delivering more affordable, higher performance solutions than would have been possible using proprietary technology,” said Ed Zoiss, President, Harris Electronic Systems.
The technology development phase will begin in June 2017, followed by a system qualification phase in early 2019, and a subsequent 5-year production contract phase. Harris avionics and ruggedized open systems mission processing technology already support the F-35, F-22, and F/A-18.
Harris Corporation is a leading technology innovator, solving customers’ toughest mission-critical challenges by providing solutions that connect, inform and protect. Harris supports government and commercial customers in more than 100 countries and has approximately $6 billion in annual revenue.
The company is organized into three business segments: Communication Systems, Space and Intelligence Systems, and Electronic Systems.