ATR 72-600. Photo: TransAsia
EASA has certificated avionics advancements for the ATR 42-600 and ATR 72-600, co-developed by ATR and Thales, Thales said. Called “Standard 3,” the new enhancements improve situational awareness and approach capabilities, with a user-friendly interface and optimization tools for airline operations. Thales said that for the “first time ever in commercial air transport,” a synthetic vision system will be available.
Along with the synthetic vision system, Standard 3 includes additional high and low speed protections, and customizable checklists and databases. There will also be an option for RNP-AR 0.3/0.3 (required navigation performance with authorization required). Thales provides an inertial reference system, allowing safe operations in corridors with 0.3 nm half-width, Thales said. This would enable airlines to operate in mountainous areas, congested traffic environments and other conditions.
Standard 3 is available for retrofit in ATR-600s that are already in service. Installations are set to start at the end of this year.