Thales has begun flight testing its compact FlytX helicopter avionics suite in a Helicopteres Guimbal Cabri G2. The suite is adaptable to helicopters of all sizes for both new production and retrofits and available with one to four screens.
In the Cabri, Thales pilots will test fly the single-screen version of FlytX to make short-loop adjustments to improve the performance and system maturity before its integration into customer programs. The avionics already have been selected by Airbus Helicopters and the French Defense Procurement Agency (DGA) to equip the Guépard, the future light joint helicopter, as well as by Russian Helicopters’ VR-Technologies for the VRT500 turbine single. Test flights are scheduled for next year in the VRT500.
Benefitting from more than a decade of research, FlytX is designed to reduce crew workload and improve situational awareness, is cyber-secure, and offers up to 40 percent reduction in weight, size, and energy consumption compared to current avionics suites, according to Thales. It also is natively connected and “promotes cooperation with other actors in the aviation ecosystem,” according to the company. Testing in the Cabri will continue into 2022.