Thales IESI selected for Brazilian Army helicopters
Thales will supply its Integrated Electronic Stand-by Instrument (IESI) for the Brazilian Army Esquilo/Fennec helicopter fleet modernisation programme under a new contract announced on 26 May.
The IESI will be installed by programme lead Helibras, the Brazilian subsidiary of Airbus Helicopter. Helibras signed the contract for the modernisation programme of the Brazilian Army Fennec helicopters in December 2011. The programme calls for the reconstruction/modernisation two aircraft and modernisation of 32.
Thales’ IESI performs three essential back-up functions: artificial horizon, altimeter and airspeed indicator, all in a single Line Replaceable Unit (LRU).
The system performs well at low speed, low altitude and high turn rates, and has resistance to High Intensity Radio Frequencies (HIRF), and durability in humid, saline and high-vibration environments. It is also able to receive and control other functions such as Automatic Flight Control System (AFCS) back up, Radio Management System (RMS) back up, depending on customer requirements.
Yves Joannic, VP helicopter avionics business, Thales, said: 'The selection of our IESI system by the Brazilian Army underlines the perfect fit of our solution for the upgrading of helicopters. Thales’s IESI will offer the Brazilian Army the highest levels of reliability for their missions in any flight conditions.'
The first batch will be integrated into six initial helicopters by Helibras during 2014, with the programme completion expected in 2018.
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