Addendum
Airbus launches new black box recorders
July 1st 2017
Airbus has launched a black box data recorder that separates from the aircraft in a serious incident, making it easier to find in the aftermath of a crash, especially in remote areas. Read More »
The European manufacturer has been pushing the new black box design since the disappearances of an Air France aircraft over the South Atlantic Ocean eight years ago and the still unresolved loss of a Malaysia Airlines aircraft over the Indian Ocean in 2014.
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It took search crews two years to locate the black box of Air France flight 447, an A330 that crashed into the Atlantic in June, 2009, killing all 228 passengers and crew on board. Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, a Boeing B777, disappeared over the Indian Ocean in 2014 with the loss of 239 lives. Its black boxes have not been retrieved.
Airbus has launched two versions of the black boxes, which it unveiled in Paris last month: a new fixed crash-protected Cockpit Voice and Data Recorder (CVDR), capable of recording up to 25 hours of voice and flight data on a single recorder and an Automatic Deployable Flight Recorder (ADFR).
It said the new CVDR will be lighter, more compact and provide new capabilities compared with the current generation of recorders, including versatile interfaces. The new CVDR answers the EASA and ICAO requirement to extend the duration of voice recording to 25 hours. The current rules call for two hours of voice recording.
Two of the new CVDRs will be fitted on shorter-range A320 airliners, which will greatly increase the redundancy for both voice and flight data recovery. Until now, airliner installations only require one flight data recorder and a separate voice recorder.
The other version of the new recording system, the ADFR, is aimed at longer range aircraft that have extended flight times over water or remote areas. They include the A321LR, A330, A350 XWB and A380. The ADFR will add a new capability to commercial airliners: the ability to be deployed automatically in case of significant structural deformation or water submersion.
Designed to float, the crash-protected memory module, with up to 25 hours of recorded cockpit voice and flight data, will be equipped with an integrated Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) to help rescue teams rapidly position and recover flight recorders.
Charles Champion, Airbus executive vice president of engineering, said: “Airbus, together with L3 Technologies and Leonardo DRS, is very pleased to be leading the commercial aircraft industry in implementing our new deployable flight data and 25 hour voice recording capability. Starting with the very long-range A350 XWB, we look forward to progressively installing these new voice and data recovery devices across our entire product range.”
The deployable ADFR will be installed in the rear fuselage and the CVDR placed in the front of the aircraft. The ADFR unit, together with its mechanical ejection system, is designed and will be manufactured by DRS Technologies Canada Ltd. (a Leonardo DRS Company) and integrated by L3 in partnership with Airbus cross-programme Engineering. The new recording systems will be available in 2019.
