PATUXENT RIVER NAS, Md., 26 July 2013. U.S. Navy avionics experts needed color flat-panel displays to upgrade the monochrome cathode ray tube (CRT) displays in the Navy's T-45 Goshawk trainer jet. They found their solution from Scientific Research Corp. (SRC) in Atlanta.
Officials of the Naval Air Systems Command at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Md., announced a $9 million contract modification to SRC this week for 200 Multi-Function Color Display (MFCD) units and technical data for a forced retrofit of MFCD units into T-45 aircraft.
The Navy uses the T-45 for intermediate and advanced portions of the Navy and Marine Corps pilot training program for jet carrier aviation and tactical strike missions.
The T-45A has replaced the T-2 Buckeye trainer and the TA-4 trainer with an integrated training system that includes the T-45A Goshawk aircraft, operations and instrument fighter simulators, academics, and training integration system, Navy officials say.
There are two versions of T-45 aircraft in operational use: the T-45A and T-45C derivatives. The T-45A, which became operational in 1991, contains an analog design cockpit, while the new T-45C is built around a modern digital glass cockpit design.
SRC's Touch Thru Metal (TTM) MFCD is a drop-in replacement for the monochrome CRT multi-function display on the Navy T-45 aircraft, and is an exact mechanical and electrical form-fit-function replacement for the legacy T-45 display, including duplication of tactile and visual feedback.
The MFCD uses an active matrix color liquid crystal display (AMLCD) with light-emitting diode (LED) backlighting for visibility in daytime through night conditions. The company's TTM technology allows continuous diagnosis of switch operation with automatic notification of impending failure, SRC officials say.
The SRC MFCD for the T-45 aircraft has a viewable area that measures 5 by 5 inches, weighs 8.3 pounds, and has brightness of 1 to 160 foot lamberts during the day and 1 to 0 foot lamberts at night. The display meets MIL-E-5400, MIL-STD-461C, MIL-STD-1472, MIL-STD-810E, MIL-L-85762A, and MIL-P-7788F.
On this contract modification SRC will do the work in Atlanta, and should be finished by June 2015. For more information contact SRC online at www.scires.com, or Naval Air Systems Command at www.navair.navy.mil.
