JAL Selects Rockwell Collins Total Entertainment System

Asian Aerospace 2000 -- Japan Airlines has become the ninth major carrier to select Rockwell Collins' Total Entertainment System (TES), which is being installed aboard the company's 24-strong fleet of Boeing 747-400s. JAL has ordered the system to include audio/visual on demand (AVOD), which is activated through a software upgrade and will be available later this summer. AVOD streams audio and video directly to individual seats, affording passengers complete control of video programming.

TES is also flying on Air France, Airtours, British Airways, Delta, LanChile, TAM and Thai Airways.

Rockwell Collins is involved in a number of other programs in Asia. These include:

Preparations for testing of a satellite-based graphical weather information service that will provide worldwide, real-time weather data to aircraft in flight. The program, sponsored by NASA, will equip two American Airlines Boeing 777s with satellite receivers and laptop computers to display strategic weather maps transmitted to the airplanes via WorldSpace Corporation's Asiastar satellite while flying routes to and from Japan. Tests are scheduled to begin in May.

Support, directly and in conjunction with BAE Systems' Data Link Solutions, of Link 16 production programs. Several Asian countries are undergoing qualification to gain access to the Link 16 datastream, which is established as the NATO standard data link. Australia and Japan already approved for Link 16 capability. Link 16 is featured at the Rockwell Collins exhibit at Asian Aerospace 2000

Supply of data link equipment to more than a dozen air carriers operating some 2,000 aircraft in the Asia Pacific region, enabling them to improve operational efficiency and on-time performance by providing maintenance and aircraft operational information. The complementary Rockwell Collins Hermes system provides airlines with PC-based access to air and ground data link traffic and route messages. Its flexible design makes it suitable for data management for a small number of aircraft up to the largest fleets.