Avionics server installed in hundreds of aircraft

To help fast-track the complete IFE installation onto the aircraft and keep overall costs low, airlines and integrators are leveraging Kontron's B737 and A320 STC. These STCs along with Kontron services and installation kits have been designed and certified to work with not only the ACE Flight 4608 server, but also Kontron's Cab-n-Connect A100 cabin wireless access point (CWAP) and accessory kit.

Contributing to its high adoption rate, the ACE Flight 4608 has achieved FAA PMA and EASA Form 1, along with China CAAC regulatory approvals. Additionally, Kontron expects to get linefit approvals for its ACE Flight 4608 on both Boeing and Airbus aircraft by Q1 2020.

What makes the ACE Flight 4608 server so popular is that it brings data centre-grade performance to the aircraft. It integrates the powerful Intel Xeon 8-Core processor D-1539 with 32GB of ECC DDR4 memory. Recent updates support up to 8 terabytes (TB) of fixed SATA SSD storage with the option for include two Removable SDDs with up to 8TB of storage each.

The Fully Managed L2/L3 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) Switch provides ten external GbE ports, and the ARINC 429 interface provides 6x receive channels. On the ground, wireless connectivity is achieved via dual advanced LTE cellular modems with global coverage. The ACE Flight 4608 is also optimised to easily support a wide range of applications including satellite and ATG connectivity, media server, aircraft operations and virtualisation.

Kontron has realised significant success with its IFE&C platforms that help lower the cost of deployment while accelerating development and time-to-market. There are currently more than 4,500 commercial aircraft and business jets operating worldwide with Kontron IFE&C equipment on board.