L-3’s Iridium satellite communications certified on Airbus A320 family aircraft

FARNBOROUGH, England, 15 July 2014. Airbus delivered formal notification of certification to L-3 Aviation Recorders (L-3 AR) for the L-3 Automated Flight Information and Reporting System (AFIRS) 228S on Airbus A320 family aircraft. The AFIRS 228S, an Iridium-based satellite communications (SatCom) system, provides satellite cockpit voice and aircraft data transmission capability to airline operators worldwide.

L-3’s AFIRS 228S Iridium SatCom system provides an aircraft crew with voice and data services for Air Traffic Control (ATC), Aeronautical Operational Control (AOC) and Air-to-Air Communication (AAC) using Iridium’s global satellite network. The system also provides ACARS (Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System) over Iridium messaging capability.

“We’re proud to be part of this important AFIRS SatCom certification by Airbus,” says Ed Senen, president of L-3 Aviation Recorders. “Our AFIRS solution provides a strategic expansion to the core flight data recording product line that L-3 has supplied to its customers as the industry’s leading aviation recorder manufacturer for more than 30 years.”

Working together with its partner, FLYHT Aerospace Solutions, L-3 Aviation Recorders signed the original agreement with Airbus for the AFIRS program in 2012 to develop and certify L-3’s AFIRS Iridium SatCom capability on the Airbus A320 family of aircraft.

L-3 Aviation Recorders is a division of L-3 Aviation Products (L-3 AP), a provider of commercial and military avionics. L-3 AP manufactures a diverse line of safety- and efficiency-enhancing products, including configurable voice and data recorders, collision avoidance systems, navigation products, display systems, and processors, as well as offers aftermarket services, including maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) and integrated performance-based logistics for military and commercial systems.