MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Enhanced TriStars will remain fit into next decade

Royal Air Force Lockheed TriStar some of which for years covered the air bridge to the Falkland Islands will be undergoing flight management and communications systems improvements following the award of a £22 million contract to Marshall of Cambridge Aerospace.

The company will make a number of enhancements to the TriStar, including introducing a new flight management system and improving flight safety, and will make sure the fleet remains an agile and capable platform well into the next decade.

Within the new flight management system, Precision Area Navigation compliance will be provided allowing terminal airspace operations to be based on common regulations and ensuring consistent levels of flight safety.

The new system will also include a fully integrated flight display suite that uses the latest in liquid crystal display technology and analogue-to-digital interfaces to give accurate information via primary flight and navigation displays. Communications will also be improved with the introduction of the Dual Rockwell Collins VHF radio.

The contract will run until December 2009 and will be managed by the Air Refuelling and Communications Integrated Project Team (ARC IPT).

Group Captain Peter Ewen, ARC IPT leader said: ?ARC IPT's work, in partnership with Marshall Aerospace, is providing a coherent suite of defensive and navigational aids. Our combined expertise has been used to full effect in this essential upgrade and I look forward to seeing the platform's enhanced capability as a result.'