1736. Avionics Weight Control for the Starship and Beyond

Paper

Abstract

Over the past four decades the avionics content of commercial aircraft has increased two to threefold in equipment quantity and functional capability. Unfortunately, with this growth the installed weight of avionics has also grown to as much as 7% of the weight of a newer turboprop or business jet. The development of the exceptionally advanced Starship 1 aircraft offered a unique challenge to dramatically reverse this trend by providing an avionics system with unprecedented capability while meeting ambitiously low weight and volume goals. The challenge was met by utilizing advanced component technologies and electronics packaging techniques. Reduction of installed weight was also addressed by elimination of wiring and increased resource sharing in the areas of I/O concentration, power supplies and cockpit controls and displays. Comparison of Starship 1 avionics subsytems with typically available commercial aircraft systems show weight and volume reductions of over 50%. A look at the future of avionics packaging shows that forces will continue to push for more functions in less space. technologies that eliminate the integrated circuit package and place the circuit directly on an interconnecting substrate will no doubt play a big role in avionics weight control for the future.