Airbus has finished its flight tests for the Fully Integrated Tactical System (FITS) workstations on board its C295 aircraft.
This represents a new way of managing airborne tactical mission systems, not only for manned and unmanned fixed wing aircraft but will extend to rotorcraft as well.
According to Airbus, it represents a harmonisation of “mission system architecture, human-machine interface (HMI) and concept of operations (CONOPS).”
Known as the C295 FITS mission system (COMMOMISS), FITS can be operated by ground-based personnel with all of the sensors being controlled “in near real time by a mission operator based at a ground station.” Tasks tested included Electro-Optical/Infra-Red (EO/IR) pointing control and radar management, using the installed Ka band SATCOM.
The testing was conducted during April over southern Spain from Airbus’ Getafe site. An Airbus C295 Intelligence Surveillance Recognition (ISR) testbed equipped with a Collins aviation package conducted four maritime patrol flights.
by Andrew Drwiega
