Technology refresh is a crucial aspect of maintaining and enhancing the performance, capabilities, and readiness of aircraft. Recently, BAE Systems was selected by Boeing to upgrade the fly-by-wire (FBW) flight control computers (FCC) for the F-15EX Eagle II and F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighter aircraft. These FCCs play a vital role in ensuring the safety, reliability, and robustness of the quad-redundant FBW flight control systems (FCS) that are essential for the missions of these advanced platforms.
As the original manufacturer of the FCCs for both aircraft, BAE Systems will modernize the FCC electronics hardware and software to increase processing power, enhance cyber and product security, address obsolescence issues, and support sustainment well into the future. This upgrade will leverage the company’s high-integrity flight control product roadmap, which has been developed through technology investments and used across multiple recent military airborne platform flight control upgrades. Additionally, the F/A-18E/F FCC will receive an additional processor to enable future capabilities for the fleet.
Corin Beck, senior director of Military Aircraft Systems for Controls and Avionics Solutions at BAE Systems, emphasized the company’s commitment to providing next-generation solutions. He stated, “Our advanced flight-critical solution ensures that these platforms will maintain fleet readiness now, and in the future, as well as provisions the aircraft to support the integration of new functions.”
The upgraded FCCs efficiently manage aircraft flight by processing pilot inputs, monitoring real-time aircraft movement conditions via on-board sensors, and transmitting commands to actuators that move the control surfaces. The redundant FCS, along with the flight control laws, enables the pilot to maintain controlled operation across demanding flight regimes and multiple loadout configurations. In the event of a failure or battle damage, the FCS can reconfigure how it controls the aircraft by mixing the remaining control surfaces differently, allowing the pilot to focus more on the mission and less on flying the aircraft.
With over 40 years of experience in developing and integrating flight control technology for military and commercial platforms, BAE Systems is well-equipped to carry out this flight control upgrade. The work will be conducted at the company’s state-of-the-art engineering and manufacturing facility in Endicott, New York.
In conclusion, technology refresh plays a vital role in enhancing aircraft performance, capabilities, and readiness. The upgrade of the FCCs for the F-15EX Eagle II and F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighter aircraft by BAE Systems will ensure that these advanced platforms remain at the forefront of military aviation, equipped with the latest advancements in flight control technology.