North Carolina-based Honeywell is designing, developing and testing an array of avionics hardware and software systems, packages, platforms and solutions for various small, narrow and wide-body airplanes at multiple aerospace labs it has in Bengaluru.
Honeywell is currently building a high-end flight management system (FMS) and other packages for Boeing 777X, claimed to be the world’s largest and most efficient twin-engine jet scheduled for commercial introduction globally in 2025.
Typically, an FMS is a specialised computer system that automates a wide variety of in-flight tasks. It displays a flight plan informing pilots about the number of passengers on board, destination, flying distance, the amount of fuel the plane carries, take off, landing and cruising speed to ensure a safe and fuel-efficient flight.
The firm is also designing similar systems and critical in-flight communication infrastructure for Airbus (Airbus A320, A350, A380, etc) at its various labs in India.
For E1 and E2, medium-range twinjet airliners designed and produced by the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer, Honeywell is designing and building end-to-end avionics systems on its Epic Cockpit platform, Primus Epic 2.0. The platform enhances interactive navigation and increases an airplane’s performance and safety by identifying difficult terrain and efficiently redirecting flight paths, as per Honeywell.
Similar avionics projects are underway for business jets produced by U.S-based Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation and French aerospace firm Dassault Aviation.
Niranjan Kalyandurg, Vice President, Engineering & Aerospace Leader, Honeywell Technology Solutions Ltd told The Hindu, “More such global projects, to help airplanes communicate, aviate and navigate better, are coming to Honeywell. In some cases, depending on the expertise, our labs in India will handle a major chunk of the work, while in some projects, we collaborate between our labs in India, the Czech Republic, Europe and the U.S.”
Aerospace was a key vertical for Honeywell and of the total $34.5 billion revenue the company posted globally in calendar 2022, aerospace accounted for $11.9 billion of which avionics alone brought it revenue worth $4.5 billion, Mr. Kalyandurg added.
Honeywell invested $130 million in establishing over 10 aero labs across Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Madurai in the last 29 years. The company’s aerospace division employs 2,100 aero engineers while Honeywell employs more than 13,000 people, across verticals, in India.
Published - June 08, 2023 07:42 pm IST
