Astronautics Corporation of America announces the addition of a dedicated system solutions business unit to its portfolio of displays & cockpit integration and connected aircraft solutions product lines.  The system solutions business line will focus on delivering turnkey, integrated solutions designed with avionics from Astronautics, its subsidiaries, and from other suppliers.  It will address obsolescence, ensure cybersecurity certification compliance, and add mission capabilities for both line-fit and retrofit of commercial and military aircraft.

Astronautics is currently completing two system solutions programs and recently named a key supplier for a third program.  The first program is a complete cockpit upgrade for the Erickson S-64 Air Crane® where Astronautics is providing avionics for Erickson’s retrofit of 12 helicopters with a customized solution tailored to their crane and firefighting missions.  The solution includes Astronautics’ Badger™ Pro+ Gen 2.0 smart 6”x8” multifunction displays (MFDs), engine data concentrator unit, and AeroSync Mission connectivity module, along with system integration testing and functional verification.

The second program is for ENAER’s new Pillan II trainer intended for the Chilean Air Force—a replacement for their current fleet of 33 ENAER T-35 trainers.  The Badger Pro+ Gen 2.0 MFDs are also at the core of the full avionics system designed and delivered by Astronautics.

The third and newest system solution program is for Astronautics to develop and integrate the avionics system for Radia’s WindRunner™ aircraft, which will be the largest aircraft developed by volume and designed for large-scale logistics in energy, aerospace & defense, and disaster relief applications.

“Given the steady increase in our orderbook of systems programs, now is the right time to formalize a system solutions unit and bring Astronautics back into the systems business,” stated Robert Atac, Astronautics president.  “We are expanding on our pedigree of successful systems integration programs that modernized Brazilian, Saudi, and Peruvian C-130/L-100 military transport aircraft with a blend of Astronautics and supplier avionics.”

The new business unit is being led by Eytan Saletsky, Astronautics director of system solutions.  Saletsky, who joined Astronautics in February 2023, has over 35 years of industry experience with integrated system programs, including over 20 years at CMC Electronics where he was the director responsible for the Cockpit-4000 avionics system as implemented for the Textron Aviation Defense T-6B/T-6C, Korean Aerospace Industry KT-1C, BAE Hawk for the Finnish Air Force, Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet for the Royal Thai Air Force, and the IOMAX Archangel aircraft.