Evolution

Stores Management Systems

In the middle of 60th the Design Bureau started the development of weapon control units.

First of them were electromechanical release devices. Those units ensured generation of required release pulses. The time gap depended on aircraft speed and linear interval of bomb release on the ground.

The important step of the development was the creation of first generation of stores management systems (SUO) combining heterogeneous shooting, releasing, and launch devices into an integrated control system based on miniature relay and transistor components.

Some versions of first generation SUO such as SUV-1 and SUV-2 have been operated in aircraft of many foreign countries for more than 30 years.

Second SUO generation appeared as a result of the new architecture based both on the central logic unit and first integrated circuits.

Further SUO development was ensured by automation of weapon employment, appearing of first digital interfaces, built-in test extension, and use of higher integrated PCBs. All those leaded to the creation of third generation SUO.

By the beginning of 90th weapon range was significantly extended; there were developed new targeting and navigation systems and aircraft interfaces; targeting veracity was increased due to more completed information support.

Those preconditions made possible the creation of fourth generation SUO.

The main features of fourth generation SUO are conjunction of heterogeneous interfaces of aircraft and weapon and employing of onboard digital computer as a control device.

The concept of modular SUO was created at the end of 90th in co-operation with basic research institutes. First prototypes of this concept belong to 4+ generation. At the moment such SUOs are being produced serially for Su 30MKK, Su-30MK2, Su 30MKI aircraft.

The technical reserve of 4 and 4+ generations is a base for creation of SUO for aircraft of 5th generation. Nowadays the "Aviaavtomatika" is working at the development and introducing of such systems.

Flight Data Recorders

The "Aviaavtomatika" of "Pribor" JSC has been developing and manufacturing flight data recording systems for more than ten years. The Design Bureau started this direction after the breakdown of the USSR. Before that the development of similar systems ("Ekran" e.g.) was carried out by Kiev "Electronpribor" (Ukrain). In 90th it was required to develop a new airborne automated control system (BASK) for Ka-50 helicopter. The "Ekran" was serially produced by Kursk "Pribor" JSC, however, Kiev "Electronpribor" still was the developer and specification holder of the system. Co-operation with Ukrain as a foreign country, became difficult. The "Aviaavtomatika" of "Pribor" JSC offered the Russian version of BASK.

The pilot project and requirements specification were worked out in co-operation with Kamov helicopter building plant by the end of 1995. The system passed all kinds of testing including flight test. Under name BASK-800 it became a part of avionics of Ka-50 helicopter further known as a "Black Shark".

The experience gained during this program is a foundation for evolution of flight data recorders development in our enterprise. In particular, without this experience it would be impossible to create a new generation of flight data recorders "KARAT", which combine functions of an airborne automated control system and a crash recorder.

Technical documentation and production prototypes were developed and adjusted in a short time. The system successfully passed the preliminary test, interdepartmental test and flight test.

In 1994 at the suggestion of the Chief Designer Vladimir V. Tarasov and Executive Director of the State Research Institute of Aviation Systems GosNIIAS Pavel V. Poznyakov a meeting was held with representatives of a French company Dassault Electronique (later Thales). During that meeting the key points of the collaboration between Design Bureau "Aviaavtomatika", GosNIIAS, and Dassault Electronique in the field of "Flight data recorder based on a solid state memory module" were defined. As a consequence of the negotiations the independent auditing firm "Ernst&Yang" signed a positive conclusion permitting the development and manufacture of flight data recorders under the direction of Design Bureau "Aviaavtomatika" of "Pribor" JSC.

At the end of 1995 the agreement of co-operation was executed and in 1996 the "Aviaavtomatika" started the development of the airborne system for flight data acquisition, monitoring, and recording for upgraded MiG-21BIS aircraft (by RSK "MiG") of Indian Air Force.

The Russian and French Parts signed the Contract of joint work at the International Air Show MAKS-97 in Zhukovsky.

The protected airborne recorder ZBN-21I, on-ground processing system Karat-N, and test equipment for the recording system were developed in the "Aviaavtomatika".

GosNIIAS experts have developed the Karat-B software.

It was for the first time in Russia when a flash memory recorder based on non-volatile chips of foreign manufacture and compliant with TSO C124 was used for data recording.

At the end of 1996 the first prototype of the system was manufactured. In February of 1997 the first joining of the on-ground processing system and airborne protected recorder ZBN took place.

The laboratory test verified the accuracy of the schematic, engineering and software solutions, what permitted to make the fist delivery to the aircraft building company "NAZ Sokol" (Nizhny Novgorod) in April.

The adjustment of the on-ground system with MiG-21 (75-01-10) aircraft took some months. The aircraft equipped with our system made its first flight in August of 1997. After that there was a long and hard procedure of flight adjustment in Nizhny Novgorod and Ahtubinsk.

The operation in Nizhny Novgorod, interdepartmental testing at our enterprise, flight development test in Ahtubinsk let successfully carry out the acceptance test by experts of the Indian Air Force in April of 2001.

"Karat-B" is the first airborne system combining functions both of a crash recorder and an airborne automated control system.

We can use the expression "for the first time" regarding "Karat-B" for many times.

For the first time in Russia PC-104 board computer was employed in airborne equipment.

For the first time in Russia a flash memory module was employed for flight data recording and storage.

For the first time in Russia RS232 serial digital interface with the speed rate 115.2 Kb/s was employed in aircraft.

For the first time modern foreign components were employed in such a large number.

For the first time a system was created as software adjustable one and the software could be changed in the closed system through a special connector.

"Karat-B" is a first in Russia recording system ensuring data protection compliant with the international standard TSO C124.

The technical solutions are protected with Patent of the Russian Federation № 2125238.

The simulators of cockpit aircraft instrumentation has been developed for test bench "Integratsiya", created in GosNIIAS and intended for the avionics of MiG-21BIS.

Now "Karat-B" system is modified and upgraded with additional functions. In 2002 L-39 and Su-25SM aircraft were equipped with systems "Karat-B-01" and "Karat-B-25". At the same time we started deep modernisation of "Karat" for MiG-29K.

Using the own experience and having regards to the world tendency of the evolution of recording systems the Design Bureau is developing flight data recorders of new generation. The system units contain unified software changed modules, employing which it is possible to create a data acquisition and processing system practically for any aircraft.

ZBN-NP a new protected airborne recorder with voice function was developed in 2001. In this unit it is used TMS320C5402 processor by Texas Instrument and МС 145540 microchips for data digital processing and compression by Motorola.

While creating the unit non-volatile memory chips up to 8 MB were mastered, schematic and software solutions concerning the audio channel and interface were made.

During the collaboration the recording algorithms ensuring minimising of loss in case of accident were developed.

ZBN-29K-01 of Karat-B-29K-01 for Yak-130 is based on software and schematic solutions reserved while ZBN-NP developing.

In March of 2001 the "Aviaavtomatika" started the development of a native protected memory module ZMP-K. The first step was the creation of the analogue of the French module. It passed all kinds of tests including extreme environment as per the International Standard TSO C124. The developed ZMP-K is installed in ZBN-MR intended for modernised systems.

In 2002 we started the development of recording systems of next generation. ZMP-K-01 module should have lower weight, memory capacity up to 1024 MB, and meet the requirements of the TSO C124А.

Fundamentally new system KARAT-B-29K-01 is being created in the Design Bureau. The technical solutions are protected with Patent № 2173835 of the Russian Federation.

Due to the technical and operational performances our systems are not only at the level of the best foreign analogues by Penny&Giles (UK), Smiths Industries (UK), Allied Signal Aerospace (USA), Thales (France), but in some parameters exceed them.

The system could be installed in any combat aircraft both modernised MiG-29M, MiG-29M, Su-39, Su-27, Su-30, Yak-130, Ka-50, Ka-52, Ka-62 and perspective ones including aircraft of 5th generation T-50.

Ground processing of the recorded data is implemented by "Karat-NP".

"Karat-B-NP" could interact with on-ground systems such as "Dozor", "Topaz-M", "Topaz-MK", and "NASK".

Protected airborne recorder ZBN-T is intended for use as a part both of the serial recorder "Tester-U3-L" and in voice recorders in MiG aircraft. It is based on ZMP-K protected memory module.

ZBN-T recorder passed all kinds of tests with representatives of the Russian Federation Defence Department.

MBR Compact Flight Data Acquisition and Recording System designed as a monoblock was created for civil aircraft. It ensures reception and processing of flight data coming via digital and analogue links from aircraft systems; recording of the data into a solid-state recorder and survival in case of a flight accident. The monoblock survives extremes as per ТSО С124.

In co-operation with GosNIIAS KSSR Integrated Bench for Recording Systems was created for the debugging of interaction between recording systems and aircraft avionics. The KSSR was created in co-operation with GosNIIAS.