Airbus completes first UPS A300F upgrade

UPS’ first A300-600F to undergo a major avionics upgrade by Airbus has made its way back to the U.S. after spending almost two years in France. The aircraft (868) had been used by the manufacturer as the prototype for the upgrade, which brings the cockpit more in line with current-generation aircraft and is designed to extend the service life of UPS’ fifty-two A300-600Fs for another twenty years. [caption id="attachment_415274" align="alignright" width="560"] The upgraded cockpit features more modern instruments and larger displays. (Photo/Airbus)[/caption] Unit 868, which arrived in Mobile, AL (BFM) from Toulouse (TLS) on Jan. 21, had been ferried from Louisville (SDF) to TLS for the installation and testing of the modifications in February 2019. The aircraft, originally delivered to UPS in 2006, will receive a C-check and evaluation before returning to service, according to Airbus. In an article in Airbus’ FAST magazine, UPS said the predominant reason for approaching Airbus in 2015 about the project was the need for a more modern Flight Management System (FMS) capable of handling the growth in navigation data since the entry into service of the first A300-600 in the 1980s. The new FMS — responsible for flight plans, navigation and other tasks — contains a large database of global data and can be uploaded to the aircraft in about ten minutes. By contrast, with the current older FMS, UPS has to split its databases into smaller regional packages that take almost an hour each to switch out. Updates will only have to be uploaded monthly on each aircraft instead of once per day. Apart from the FMS, unit 868 now features larger LCD screens, a GPS-based instrument approach system for airports without an Instrument Landing System (ILS), a new Honeywell Aerospace weather radar, and other improvements that will lead to lower maintenance costs and better reliability. With the first aircraft now complete, the remaining fifty-one will be modified at MRO facilities appointed by UPS. The integrator, which had previously expected the redelivery of unit 868 in the second half of 2020, and the whole project to last through 2022, declined to provide specifics at this stage. UPS’ A300-600F fleet has an average age of sixteen years, with the first aircraft having been delivered in 2000. Meanwhile, UPS has also been upgrading the cockpits of all its 757Fs and 767Fs with larger and more modern Collins Aerospace displays. That project is much less complex than the Airbus upgrade and is expected to be completed well before the A300s.

Airbus completes first UPS A300F upgrade

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Airbus completes first UPS A300F upgrade

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