Genesys Aerosystems has been selected by Indian state-owned aerospace and defense company Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) to provide the S-TEC 4000R autopilot product for its Hindustan-228 aircraft.

The S-TEC 4000R autopilot integrates seamlessly with the existing Genesys cockpit on the aircraft today. It adds additional advanced functions not previously available in the HAL manufactured commuter aircraft fleet, expanding its mission profile and increasing operational safety. These features include Vertical Navigation (VNAV); envelope protection and alerting; straight and level recovery mode; search and rescue capabilities and more.

The S-TEC 4000R autopilot system will introduce the latest digital autopilot system on the Hindustan-228 platform. The programme will also include more than 20 years of additional support.

“We are pleased to partner with HAL to equip the Hindustan-228 aircraft with the expanded operational capabilities found in the S-TEC 4000R system," says Genesys director of business development Nick Bogner. “Additionally, HAL will benefit from high reliability and long term support for its customers.”

The S-TEC 4000R is an advanced digital, three-axis, attitude based, remote mounted flight control system designed for Class 4, Part 23 aircraft. The 4000R introduces new technology and features over existing S-TEC autopilots, such as envelope protection, straight and level mode, and integrated yaw damper, and can drive up to six servos. The S-TEC 4000R has a separate flight guidance computer (FGC) and mode control panel (MCP) for maximum flexibility in location of avionics LRUs within aircraft facing space constraints. The MCP consists of buttons to allow the pilot to control the selected autopilot mode. Setting values and displaying the autopilot mode are controlled by the Genesys EFIS display.