Honeywell Gets $25.3M to Supply F-16 Circuit Card Assemblies
(click to view full)
Honeywell International in Albuquerque, NM received a maximum $25.3 million firm-fixed price, sole-source, indefinite delivery/ indefinite quantity contract for aircraft circuit card assemblies for the US Air Force’s F-16 fighters.
The date of performance completion is Aug. 16, 2014. There was originally 1 proposal solicited with 1 response received by the Defense Supply Center Richmond. The assemblies will be delivered to Ogden Air Logistics Center, Hill Air Force Base, in Utah (SPRHA4-09-D-0001).
The assemblies are an upgrade replacement for ones currently in the F-16 Digital Flight Control Computer (DFLCC) box…
Wikipedia provides the following explanation of a digital flight control system:
A digital fly-by-wire flight control system is similar to its analog counterpart. However, the signal processing is done by digital computers and the pilot literally can “fly-via-computer”. This increases flexibility as the digital computers can receive input from any aircraft sensor. It also increases electronic stability, because the system is less dependent on the values of critical electrical components in an analog controller.
The computers “read” position and force inputs from the pilot’s controls and aircraft sensors. They solve differential equations to determine the appropriate command signals that move the flight controls in order to carry out the intentions of the pilot.
The programming of the digital computers enable flight envelope protection. In this aircraft designers precisely tailor an aircraft’s handling characteristics, to stay within the overall limits of what is possible given the aerodynamics and structure of the aircraft. For example, the computer in flight envelope protection mode can try to prevent the aircraft from being handled dangerously by preventing pilots from exceeding preset limits (the aircraft’s envelope) such as the stall, spin or limiting G. Software can also be used to filter control inputs to avoid pilot-induced oscillation.
