Boeing has selected the Astronautics Block Point 5 (BP5) upgraded electronic flight bag (EFB) for the 787 Dreamliner. The new EFB will replace in-service BP4 EFBs on board the 787s manufactured since the type entered service in 2009 and be installed on all new 787s when Boeing slots it into the production flow.
The BP5 is an easy slide-in, slide-out retrofit for earlier 787s, according to Astronautics president Chad Cundiff. No changes are needed to wiring, power, cooling requirements or the avionics rack. Compared to the BP4, the BP5 unit weighs less and doubles the storage capacity with a solid-state drive instead of the BP4’s spinning drive. The operating system of the BP5 is based on Microsoft’s Windows 10, while the BP4 runs on Windows XP. “This will allow us to address some things where it was starting to load down the processor a bit,” he said. “Windows 10 will bring lot of capability, including compatibility with the latest apps in the Microsoft environment.” Operators will be able to develop new apps for the EFB or work with vendors such as Boeing’s Jeppesen division on new EFB capabilities. “This gives them a platform to do more with.”
While the BP4 is extraordinarily reliable, with a mean time between failure of 80,000 hours, Cundiff said, “we believe the BP5 will continue that further. We know that inherently solid-state drives are better than a spinning mass, and that will give it increased reliability.” The modular nature of the BP5 makes upgrading the unit with faster processors and larger drives much easier, and this helps meet expectations of customers who want faster technology upgrades. “It’s built on their experience in the consumer world,” he said. “They want to see updates faster, and as they think of new ways to utilize the system, and as they use it, we can add more capability.”