National critical technologies report.

  • Office of Science and Technology Policy
Date:
1995
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: National critical technologies report. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    153/226 (page 127)
    European firms are at parity with U.S. firms in fly-by-wire (FBW) technology and ahead in its application to commercial aircraft. Although FBW systems have been in use on military aircraft since the mid-1970s, they were not introduced on commercial transports until the mid-1980s. Operating costs and safety considerations drive commercial FBW applications through reduced weight, improved fuel efficiency, increased reliability, and less unscheduled maintenance. European success can be attributed to two factors —aggressive application of military flight control technology to commercial aircraft and a wave of consolidation within the avionics industries. Although FBW technology was originally developed by U.S. firms for military aircraft, European firms— Britain's GEC and France's Sextant—were the first to apply the technology to a commercial aircraft, the Airbus A320. In late 1990, GEC won the contract to supply the FBW system for the Boeing 777— the first U.S.-produced commercial aircraft to incorporate FBW technology. Because new commercial transport programs like the Boeing 777 are launched so infrequently, GEC is gaining a significant advantage over U.S. firms in the commercial application of FBW technology. Japan, by contrast, has only a basic capability in FBW technology, through the FSX fighter program, and currently lacks a commercial program to gain experience. U.S. firms—led by McDonnell Douglas—appear to have the lead in fly-by-light (FBL) developments. Much of the impetus for the U.S. developments comes from ARPA’s technology reinvestment program. Limited reporting indicates that GEC and France's Dassault lead the Europeans in FBL development. GEC gained important experience through the FBL system it built for a dirigible. Japan has shown interest in FBL, but has allocated relatively small budgets for its development. Further development in FBL technology will likely require an appropriate military program and will give the country sponsoring the effort a significant advantage in FBL technology. NASA AST FBL program is also a major contributor to this technology development for the civil sector. The United States is the leader in ring laser gyro (RLG) technology but several foreign firms have developed strong RLG capabilities. British Aerospace and the French firms SAGEM and Sextant are producing RLGs with long-term drift rates adequate for aircraft navigation. Foreign firms, however, lag U.S. firms in reducing gyro size while maintaining high accuracy. Foreign firms also remain secondary players in the RLG market because they are not cost competitive with U.S. firms. As Sextant’s RLG production technology matures, the firm may attempt to win navigation contracts for Airbus aircraft—currently supplied by __ Honeywell. Japan Aviation Electronics originally based its development of RLG technology on licenses from a U.S. firm but now has an independent capability in the technology. Future foreign RLG developments will depend on whether those firms continue to fund RLG research or change their focus to fiber optic gyroscope or the Global Positioning System (GPS). The United States has a slight lead in fiber optic gyroscopes—an alternative technology for aircraft inertial- grade accuracy. Foreign efforts include work by the French firm, Photonetics,