Pratt & Whitney Signs Agreement to Provide Data Management Service for Bombardier CSeries Aircraft's Health Management System

MONTREAL, May 12, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- RAA Annual Convention, Cleveland, Ohio -- Bombardier announced today that it has teamed up with Pratt & Whitney to develop and implement a data management service for the CSeries aircraft - part of the overall Bombardier Aircraft Health Management System (AHMS) capable of transmitting real-time and recorded data from the aircraft. The AHMS will facilitate remote troubleshooting and deliver efficient and accurate diagnostics for use by maintenance and flight crews.

Under this agreement, Pratt & Whitney's eFAST system will be the infrastructure unit used to perform data transmissions from the CSeries aircraft's on-board Health Management Unit (HMU) to the ground. Along with Bombardier, they will make up the data acquisition structure which will automatically download, process and store data that will be available for upload to respective customer portals. 

"We're thrilled that this technology has evolved to the next level," said Graham Webb, Vice President, Pratt & Whitney Commercial Engines. "CSeries operators will be able to immediately review the performance of their aircraft, allowing them to make smarter business decisions related to their PurePower® engine fleet. This is truly revolutionary and will enable operators to maximize their fleet performance, while optimizing their maintenance and reliability expenditures." 

"We congratulate the teams at Pratt & Whitney and Bombardier that together have developed a service that will provide real-time monitoring of all critical aircraft systems for use in optimizing flight operations and lowering maintenance costs," said Rob Dewar, Vice President, CSeries Program, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. "This state-of-the-art tool, which was specifically designed for the CSeries aircraft, has the power to change how airline maintenance crews manage their activities, resulting in fewer mechanical delays and superior dispatch reliability."

"The AHMS' advanced diagnostic capabilities will be key components to Bombardier's entry-into-service and start-up strategies that will support our CSeries aircraft operators," said Todd Young, Vice President, Customer Services, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. "Customers are excited about this system because they see the long-term benefits it will provide their operations throughout the entire product lifecycle."

Pratt & Whitney is also the supplier for the CSeries aircraft's PurePower Geared Turbofan™ engines.

About Pratt & Whitney's eFAST Systems
The eFAST aircraft health monitoring system, designed and developed by Pratt & Whitney, is an on-board, near real-time data acquisition and transmission unit that automatically downloads, processes and stores data, then uploads it to a customer portal.  The eFAST system enables operators to capture large amounts of critical aircraft system data for use in optimizing airline flight operations and maintenance cost. 

About the Bombardier AHMS Systems
An integral part of the CSeries aircraft design, ground system and support tools, the AHMS is currently in the detailed design phase and will be available to operators at the aircraft's entry into service.

The AHMS is comprised of both on-board and ground system components. On the aircraft, the on-board maintenance system manages fault messages from all aircraft systems while the high-capacity recording and transmission Health Management Unit affords airlines an exceptional degree of customization to manage aircraft data. The unit collects broad stream aircraft operation and performance data from every system during flight.  Examples include avionics, flight controls, fly-by-wire, landing gear, braking systems, environmental control systems, thrust reversers, engines, electrical system, auxiliary power units (APUs) etc. On the ground, the AHMS system performs the detailed analysis of the transmitted on-board data to support a wide variety of operational decisions.

While CSeries aircraft operators will be the first to benefit from the AHMS, Bombardier is assessing the feasibility of equipping other in-development and in-service aircraft models with this state-of-the-art tool.

About CSeries Aircraft

Bombardier is creating the future with its CSeries aircraft -- the only 100 per cent-new family of airliners specifically designed for the 100- to 149-seat, single-aisle market. Benefitting from a clean-sheet design that includes leading-edge technology and systems integration, advanced materials and latest generation aerodynamics, the CSeries aircraft offer a 15 per cent* cash operating cost advantage, a    20 per cent* fuel burn advantage, exceptional operational flexibility, widebody comfort and an unmatched environmental and noise footprint.

Bombardier has booked orders and commitments for 603 CSeries aircraft, which include firm orders for 243 CSeries airliners.

About Pratt & Whitney

Pratt & Whitney is a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft engines and auxiliary power units. United Technologies Corp., based in Hartford, Connecticut, provides high-technology systems and services to the building and aerospace industries. To learn more about UTC, visit the website at www.utc.com or follow the company on Twitter: @UTC.

About Bombardier
Bombardier is the world's leading manufacturer of both planes and trains. Looking far ahead while delivering today, Bombardier is evolving mobility worldwide by answering the call for more efficient, sustainable and enjoyable transportation everywhere. Our vehicles, services and, most of all, our employees are what make us a global leader in transportation.

Bombardier is headquartered in Montreal, Canada. Our shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (BBD) and we are listed on the Dow Jones Sustainability World and North America Indices. In the fiscal year ended December 31, 2014, we posted revenues of $20.1 billion. News and information are available at bombardier.com or follow us on Twitter @Bombardier.

Notes to Editors
Images of CSeries aircraft are posted with this press release at www.bombardier.com.

Additional information on the CSeries aircraft is available at www.cseries.com.

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* The CSeries aircraft are in the development phase. All data and specifications are estimates, subject to changes in family strategy, branding, capacity and performance during the development, manufacture and certification process. All performance references have been estimated based on a 500-nm North American operating environment and comparisons are to in-production aircraft.

Bombardier, CS100, CS300, CSeries, and The Evolution of Mobility are trademarks of Bombardier Inc. or its subsidiaries.

For Information

SOURCE Pratt & Whitney

Related Links

http://www.pw.utc.com