Barco develops Onboard Information Terminal for Airbus A380
KORTRIJK, BELGIUM, 29 April 2004 – Barco has won a multi-million dollar contract from Sagem SA, Paris, France, for the development and series delivery of Onboard Information Terminals (OIT) to be integrated in the Airbus A380, the largest commercial airliner in the world. The new OITs will be used by the A380’s cockpit crew as electronic flight bag application. Barco expects this new order to generate a business volume of over 17 million dollars over the next two decades.
Based on many years’ experience in engineering visualization solutions for the avionics market, Barco is developing an advanced and ergonomic OIT, combining a 12” LCD display with a user-friendly desk and additional input device (AID). The new OIT features a 12” sunlight readable Active Matrix Liquid Crystal Display, providing optimal optical performance in terms of luminance, contrast and reflectivity. At the heart of the OIT is a powerful Pentium class CPU for fast data processing. Barco’s OIT offers cockpit crew members an ergonomic operator desk, including custom-made keyboard, tracking ball and mouse. Furthermore, the system is equipped with a configurable additional input device, which allows users to rapidly and easily consult information with minimal keystrokes.
The Airbus A380 will enter airline service in 2006. Each craft will carry two Onboard Information Terminals, one at either side of the cockpit. Today Airbus has a commitment for the delivery of over 126 A380 aircraft. The OIT will be used for online consultation of maintenance manuals, security procedures, back-up applications and other vital information. The OIT is an important part of the A380’s larger Network Server System (NSS), which is being developed by Sagem.
Based on their successful cooperation during this project and other projects in the past, Sagem and Barco have decided to set up a teaming agreement for the definition and development of a full OIT product line for the whole Airbus market.
“This contract is a result of Barco’s continuous effort in developing state-of-the-art display technology for life-critical applications,” states Luc Vandenbroucke, president of BarcoView, a division of Barco. He continues: “Supplying the OIT for the Airbus A380 is a breakthrough. We see it as the cornerstone for our future success in the civil aviation cockpit technology market.”
About Barco
Barco, an international company headquartered in Kortrijk, Belgium, provides visualization and display solutions for professional markets. Barco designs and develops solutions for large screen visualization, display solutions for life-critical applications, and systems for visual inspection. Barco has a network of subsidiaries, distributors and agents in almost 100 countries. Barco is quoted on Euronext Brussels and is a BEL 20 and a Next 150 company.
For more information, please contact
Inge
Govaerts
Corporate Public Relations Manager
Barco n.v.
Telephone
+32 56 36 80 52
inge.govaerts@barco.com
JP
Tanghe
Senior Advisor to the CEO
Barco nv
Telephone
+32 56/26 23 22
jp.tanghe@barco.com
