Neuilly-sur-Seine, Oct 2 (IANS) European aerospace major Thales will showcase its expertise and innovative solutions for the business aircraft sector at the prestigious National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) annual air show that opens in Orlando, Florida Oct 6, the company said Thursday.On show at the event will be the Thales-developed unique avionics system simulation tool called iDeck, said the company statement. Thales is a world leader in on-board electronics for passenger, regional and business jet aircraft, including tailor-made avionics equipment, flight controls, cabin management, connectivity systems and in-flight entertainment systems.

The iDeck advanced simulation and prototyping facility “enables air framers and their customers to design, validate and test their future cockpit configurations prior to full development,” the statement said.

“One of the significant benefits of iDeck is its ability to efficiently capture the operational need, develop new configurations and functionalities and define, evaluate and test future cockpit concepts,” the statement added.

Presented in its A350-XWB configuration at the Farnborough Air Show earlier this year, iDeck will be featured for the first time at NBAA in its business jet design.

“This configuration allows Thales to work closely with air framers on any new business jet programs and to define and validate different functions and concepts within the cockpit from an early stage in the development process,” the statement pointed out.

Also featured at the stand will be Thales’ leading-edge fly-by-wire systems developed at the company’s Canadian centre of excellence located in Montreal, in addition to integrated electronic standby instruments; emergency locator transmitters; electrical systems; heads up displays and satellite communications systems for business aircraft.

Thales is a leading international electronics and systems group, addressing defence, aerospace and security markets worldwide. The company’s leading-edge technology is supported by 22,000 R&D engineers who offer a capability unmatched in Europe to develop and deploy field-proven mission-critical information systems.

“To this end, the group’s civil and military businesses develop in parallel and share a common base of technologies to serve a single objective: the security of people, property and nations,” the statement said.

“The group builds its growth on its unique multi-domestic strategy based on trusted partnerships with national customers and market players, while leveraging its global expertise to support local technology and industrial development,” the statement added.

Thales employs 68,000 people in 50 countries with 2007 revenues of 12.3 billion euros.