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On board the A400M

Recognised expertise
The A400M is an all-new military transport aircraft designed to
meet the needs of the worlds armed forces in the 21st century.
Thanks to its state-of-the-art technologies, it is able to fly higher,
faster and further, while retaining high manoeuvrability and the
ability to fly at low speed and to land on, and take-off from,
any short, soft and rough airfield. It is designed to fly tactical,
strategic and logistics missions and can also be used as a tanker
plane. With a cargo hold specifically designed to carry the outsize
loads needed today for both military and humanitarian missions,
it can quickly and directly deploy this equipment anywhere on
the planet.
The A400M uses dual technologies to give pilots advanced
functions that currently do not exist on other aircraft in this
category. It is designed to certification standards for civil airspace
and, when necessary, to military specification requirements.
This platform uses the latest technology from Airbus civil aircraft,
including a glass cockpit and side-stick controllers for the fly-bywire flight control system. However, unlike commercial airlines, it
uses head-up displays as primary flight instruments, enhanced
by large multi-function displays and, on some models, by the
Enhanced Vision System, which uses a camera to assist pilots.
Thales, as a long-standing Airbus partner, is supplying most
of the A400Ms cockpit systems: the Head-Down and HeadUp Displays, Control Display System and Flight Management
System. Thales technology can also be found throughout the
aircrafts avionics system: IMA suite, multimode navigation,
electrical systems and utilities such door management systems.
Every year since the programme was launched in 2005, 300
to 400 Thales employees have worked on the development of
systems for the A400M.
Innovative Thales solutions provide flight crews with all the
onboard intelligence they need.
Thales is also supplying flight simulators for pilot training at Airbus
and for client armed forces. The cutting-edge and cost-effective
solutions inherited from the latest Airbus aircraft models, which
also make extensive use of Thales technology, put the A400M
airlifter in a class of its own.

Thales and the cockpit

Integrated Modular Avionics (IMA)
The A400M is the first-ever military aircraft to be fitted with
the Integrated Modular Avionics (IMA) suite, a major technical
evolution of global importance developed for A380 and tailored
to the specific requirements of the A400M. The IMA has been

adapted to meet military criteria for resistance to higher

vibration levels, higher electromagnetic compatibility and a
critical lightning protection system.
IMA is a leap-ahead technological innovation, with all
onboard computing modules networked and able to support
different applications. The result is a substantial improvement
in computing power, reliability, maintainability, volume,
weight and scalability.
Through its IMA platform, Thales has halved the number
of parts required, leading to significant gains in direct
maintenance costs.
Control Display System
Integration of the Thales-designed Control Display System
(CDS) on the A400M marks the first time that interactive
and reconfigurable screens are used on a military transport
aircraft. The CDS is designed for flexibility and features
eight large interactive 6 x 8 LCD screens that are sunlight
readable as well as NVG compatible and are derived from
the system developed for the A380. The basic CDS for the
A400M comprises control panels, including two Keyboard
and Cursor Control Units (KCCU) and two Glareshield
Control Panels (GCP).
The display system and control panels give A400M pilots
easy access to the Flight Management System as well as the
mission and maintenance systems.
They also allow quick, intuitive access to all navigation
functions, a key advantage during critical flight phases.
An optional third crewmember station on the A400M features
one LCD screen and an additional three control panels.
Head-Up Display
The A400Ms HUD is certified as a Primary Flight Display
(PFD). The content and quality of the HUD display
symbologies enable efficient head-up flying during highworkload phases, such as approaches, as well as for critical
missions, particularly at low level.
This in turn allows pilots to utilise the large screen area
and flexibility of the eight head-down displays to optimise
the strategic planning and sequencing of flight and mission
phases.
Night vision and bad weather flight imagery from the
Enhanced Vision System is seamlessly superimposed on
the HUD, offering excellent perception of terrain, obstacles,
runway lights and the environment in general.
The A400M is the first Airbus aircraft to be pre-fitted with the
HUD, unlike the A380, on which it is an option for customers.

Enhanced Vision System

The Thales EVS makes a crucial contribution by helping pilots
to see better and further when visibility is reduced. This system
increases the availability of the A400M, allowing it to fly at
low level and land in low-visibility conditions (thanks to lower
minima), particularly for operational or humanitarian missions in
poor weather. With the help of a suite of infrared detectors and
high-performance processing, the EVS provides flight crews with
high-definition imagery of the environment outside the aircraft
at any time of day or night. This imagery is projected onto the
pilots HUD, or onto the multi-function display, and the system
is configured so that images are superimposed over the pilots
normal vision.
The EVS provides improved situation awareness for the pilot by
means of advanced imaging capabilities that increase safety
throughout all flight phases taxiing, takeoff, medium- and
low-altitude flight, approach and landing.
TopOwl Helmet Mounted Sight and Display
The TopOwl Helmet-Mounted Sight and Display (HMSD) was
selected by the Organisation for Joint Armaments Cooperation
(OCCAR) for flight testing on the A400M. These tests subsequently
confirmed its excellent compatibility with the military airlifter for
night missions.
The equipment meets all the demands of latest-generation
transport aircraft cockpits, projecting symbology and EVS
(Enhanced Vision System) imagery on the HUD at the same time
as using its built-in image intensifier tubes to provide high-quality
intensified night vision imagery.
By combining the intensified night vision image projected on
the visor with excellent peripheral vision, TopOwl provides a
remarkable level of environmental perception. In addition, if
image intensifier tubes become saturated or fail, the pilot is able
to maintain direct vision through the visor, significantly enhancing
flight safety.
TopOwl is the only HMSD system in service to incorporate a
night vision function. It offers the same performance as the latest
generation of night vision goggles but provides a significantly
higher level of comfort: the centre of gravity of the helmet is very
close to that of the pilots head, overcoming the pendulum effect
and enabling pilots to fly long missions in complete safety.

Thales and mission systems

Mission systems
Thales developed the A400Ms Flight Management System
(FMS), which provides a highly effective interface between the
pilot and the aircrafts many systems, directly contributing to
mission optimisation and success.
The A400Ms FMS offers most of the functionality associated
with a top-level commercial airliner, combined with the
specific functions required for tactical missions. As a result,
the A400M can fly missions with fewer crew members than
are needed on other types of military airlifters.
It is compliant with civil air traffic standards, enabling efficient
insertion into civil air traffic and at commercial airports,
particularly for logistics missions.
The FMS is the core of the aircrafts avionics suite and
provides a high-precision navigation capability by combining
data from inertial, radio and satellite sensors with its own
calculations, taking into account the distance travelled and
the actual conditions encountered during flight.
It optimises flight planning and guidance on its active flight
plan, while managing up to five alternative or additional
missions so that pilots can adjust their flight paths or mission
profiles, or anticipate subsequent phases, with a high degree
of flexibility.
It takes into account the aircrafts exceptional aerodynamics
and the outside environment to optimise fuel consumption
and flight profiles as well as ensure ETA precision to within
10 seconds, a level of precision anticipated under SESAR
upstream studies and only deployed on an experimental basis
on a few commercial aircraft. This capability is particularly
useful for minimising waiting times on landing strips or for
missions involving several aircraft.
The Thales FMS is also designed to precisely calculate and
predict the actual flight paths that will be implemented, even
in the case of complex scenarios. It allows the aircraft to
land on rough terrain and offers WAAS / EGNOS satellite
navigation functions, facilitating approaches in reduced
visibility. The FMS for the A400M is designed to meet the
specific requirements of a military airlifter, enabling it to
perform the full spectrum of missions: cargo transport,
humanitarian support, airdrop of paratroopers or supplies,
air-to-air refuelling (buddy refuelling and fuel delivery to
combat aircraft and helicopters), search and rescue, low-level
flight, etc. Based on an innovative, modular architecture, it
incorporates dual technologies and is readily adaptable to
the full range of aircraft configurations and mission types.

Usability has been optimised for operation with the head-up

and head-down display systems to facilitate pilot tasks, reduce
workload and optimise overall perception of the environment.
Receivers and radionavigation
Two Thales Multi-Mode Receivers (MMRs) are connected to the
FMS on the A400M. These receivers, which meet both civil and
military requirements and regulations, provide critical information
for en-route navigation and precision landing.
In addition to the conventional Instrument Landing System and
GPS, the Multi-Mode Receiver brings innovative new functions
such as the Microwave Landing System (MLS), which enables
precision landing on tactical airfields, and the differential GPS
landing system (WAAS / EGNOS satellite-based augmentation
function), which is the first technology of its kind to appear on a
military craft.
Thales also developed the TACtical Air Navigation (TACAN)
unit for the A400M, in compliance with civil standards for
development and NATO standards for interoperability. This
equipment is used as an air navigation aid that interprets beacons
in order to determine the exact position of the aircraft. Thales
has significantly reduced the weight and power consumption of
the TACAN for the A400M, while ensuring a high standard of
reliability.
Thales designed the Centralised Crypto Management System
(CCMS) found in the cockpit of the A400M. This system
streamlines the process of loading and erasing cryptographic
keys to equipment (radios, IFF, MIDS, GPS, etc.).

Thales and electrical power

generation
Aerolec, the joint venture formed by Thales and Safran Power
UK, is supplying the electrical power generation system for the
A400M. This system is designed to meet a total power supply
requirement of 400 kVA, representing a significant increase
compared to previous-generation airlifters.

hydromechanical constant-speed drives, which are

comparatively bulky, heavy and complex. The benefits of the
new-generation system include space and weight savings,
enhanced reliability and lower ownership costs.
The aerospace industry is increasingly recognising that
variable frequency is a key enabling technology behind the
more-electric aircraft concept that is driving the development
of even greener aircraft for the future.
Thales and flight simulators
Thales is a leading training service provider for the A400M,
with a contract to provide several Full Flight Simulators and
Flat Panel Trainers.
Thales has so far been contracted to supply four A400M Full
Flight Simulators and two Flat Panel Flight Training devices for
Spain, France, Germany and the United Kingdom. The first
full flight simulator was delivered to Airbus Militarys training
school in Seville, Spain at the end of 2012.
Through a joint venture with Airbus Military, Thales has also
been selected by the UK MoD for the provision of its through
life support training service, which includes the design,
construction and management of the A400M training school,
the installation and maintenance of full flight simulators and
all synthetic training equipment, and support for the RAFs
own course design team and training staff.
The training school will be built at RAF Brize Norton
in Oxfordshire, with work planned to be completed in
spring 2014. The school will train a range of aircrew and
groundcrew in operation and maintenance of the RAFs 22
A400M Atlas aircraft.
Thales is particularly proud to be onboard the A400M
and to have worked alongside Airbus to tailor the
very latest technological innovations to meet the
needs of the different nations involved in the A400M
programme.

Thales is a technology leader in onboard electrical power

generation. The solution adopted for the A400M is based on
variable-frequency generators, as opposed to the conventional

Press Contacts
Thales, Media Relations - Defence Aerospace
Emmanuelle Le Fol
emmanuelle.lefol@thalesgroup.com
Tel: +33 (0)6 82 65 64 34