BAE Systems has been selected by Boeing to upgrade the fly-by-wire (FBW) flight control computers (FCC) for the F-15EX Eagle II and F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighters, the company announced on 20 August 2024.
The FCCs feature common core electronics that support the quad-redundant FBW flight control systems (FCS), “providing the safety, reliability, robustness, and performance needed for the missions of these advanced platforms”, BAE Systems noted.
As the original manufacturer of the FCCs for both aircraft, BAE Systems will modernise the FCC electronics hardware and software to increase processing power, enhance cyber and product security, address obsolescence issues and support sustainment into the future.
“The upgraded FCC will leverage the company’s high-integrity flight control product roadmap, built upon technology investments, and used across multiple recent military airborne platform flight control upgrades,” BAE Systems stated. The F/A-18E/F FCC will also receive an additional processor to enable future capabilities for the fleet.
The FCCs efficiently manage aircraft flight by processing pilot inputs, monitoring real-time aircraft movement conditions via onboard sensors and transmitting commands to actuators that move the aircraft’s control surfaces. The redundant FCS, along with the flight control laws, enables the pilot to maintain controlled operation across the demanding flight regimes and multiple loadout configurations of the aircraft. Additionally, the FCS can reconfigure how it controls the aircraft in case of a failure or battle damage by mixing the remaining control surfaces differently. The advanced FBW FCS allows the pilot to focus more on the mission and less on flying the aircraft.
“BAE Systems is a leader in high-integrity controls and this upgrade reflects our commitment to providing our customers with next-generation solutions,” Corin Beck, senior director of Military Aircraft Systems for Controls and Avionics Solutions at BAE Systems, was quoted as saying in a company press release. “Our advanced flight-critical solution ensures that these platforms will maintain fleet readiness now and in the future, as well as provisions the aircraft to support the integration of new functions,” Beck added.
