Avionics integrator Thales announced its contribution to the “power-on” milestone of the ATR 42/72-600 pre-series aircraft.

Thales was selected in 2007 as Tier 1 systems integrator for the new ATR flight deck, and is responsible for integrating systems provided by other suppliers. The five-display glass cockpit is based on an integrated modular avionics (IMA) architecture and Avionics Full Duplex Switched Ethernet (AFDX) communication networks.

Thales said it delivered hardware elements of the avionics suite as well as the software needed for the power-on sequence. The first delivery allows Thales and ATR to begin the integration and verification phases in preparation for first flight of the next generation turboprop, scheduled for 2009. The -600 series aircraft will be introduced at the beginning of 2011, according to the announcement.