PARIS — The Direction Générale de l’Armement awarded Air France Industries a contract to upgrade the avionics of the French Air Force’s four airborne early warning aircraft on July 12, allowing for the installation of a “glass cockpit” and cutting the flight crew to three from four, the French arms procurement office said.
The contract includes service for over seven years.
“This operation is part of the continuity of the recent modernization of the French AWACS fleet, which has brought the mission system to the latest standard of the U.S. Air Force,” the DGA said, referring to the Airborne Warning and Control System, in a July 19 statement.
The upgrade will extend the life of the aircraft, which entered service in 1992, to at least 2035.
A DGA spokeswoman declined to give the value of the contract.
The upgrade will be scheduled with service support, aimed at boosting availability of the aircraft, the DGA said. The first delivery is due in 2022.
Installation of five multifunction cockpit screens is intended to “improve reliability while cutting the cost of support,” the DGA said. The systems will also allow the planes to be flown in civil airspace all over the world.
The avionics upgrade includes a redesign of the autopilot and inertial navigation system, Air France Industries KLM Engineering & Maintenance said in a statement.
“To ensure this work is carried out under optimum conditions, AFI KLM E&M has selected Boeing Defense, Space & Security as a major partner in this contract,” the company said. AFI KLM will be the project manager on the upgrade while Boeing will handle certification, as the latter is qualified for this type certificate.
The maintenance work includes the airframe and engines, with operational support staying in the hands of the French Air Force. SIMMAD, the French military aviation service unit, will oversee the service contract.
The contract extends Air France Industries’ role in upgrades of the French AWACS fleet. France was the first export client for a midlife upgrade to the Block 40/45 standard, with a $466 million contract signed in 2010 under foreign military sales rules. Boeing was prime contractor for the midlife upgrade, with Air France Industries acting as prime contractor at the depot level.
