777X

Boeing has selected GE Aviation to provide common core avionics and electrical power systems for its twin-aisle 777X aircraft.

Under the contract, GE will provide its common core system (CCS), enhanced airborne flight recorder (EAFR), electrical load management system (ELMS), and backup generator and converter for the 777X.

The CCS is said to feature aircraft avionics and utilities functions and reduce the cost of modifying software, while the EAFR is designed to record flight crew audio, parametric flight data, and data link communications and store the data in a non-volatile memory.

GE Aviation Avionics and Digital Systems president Alan Caslavka said: "This is a critical win for GE to supply the avionics computing system for the Boeing 777X, building on the success of our common core system on the 787.

"With the 787 and now the 777X, we have made future civil and military programmes more affordable by resetting the avionics cost curve and doing away with escalating software development costs."

GE will produce the CCS and EAFR at its facility in Grand Rapids, Michigan, while the remote data concentrators will be manufactured at Cheltenham plant in the UK.

"The backup power generation system will provide twice the amount of power generation than the current 777 system."

The ELMS, backup generator and backup converter will undergo testing within a copper-bird environment at GE’s Electric Power Integration Center in the UK and Electrical Power Integrated Systems Center in Ohio, US.

GE Aviation business and general aviation and integrated systems president Brad Mottier said: "The advanced ELMS on the 777X will control 30% more power than the current system, while contained in the same size and weight.

"The backup power generation system will provide twice the amount of power generation than the current 777 system."

Last week, Boeing selected Safran’s subsidiary Aircelle to supply titanium exhaust systems for the GE9X turbofan engines on the 777X.

Built on the existing 777 platform, the 777X is currently in design phase and Boeing is set to start production in 2017, with plans to begin deliveries in 2020.

The 777X will be available in two variants, 777-8X and 777-9X, and has so far logged 300 orders and commitments from airlines worldwide.

Image: GE will provide common core, enhanced airborne flight recorder and electrical power systems for the 777X. Photo: courtesy of Boeing.