Visibility of weather conditions is a critical
factor for efficient, reliable, and safe aircraft
operations. Weather related delays and
cancellations cost billions of dollars each year.
Turbulence related incidents cost airlines on
average $150,000 per incident.
For more than 80 years, Honeywell has
pioneered flight safety system development and
our innovations continue with the IntuVue weather
radar family. The RDR-4000 is the first member of
this new radar family. As the first totally new
design in onboard weather radar for commercial
aircraft in 40 years, IntuVue improves strategic
rerouting and tactical maneuvering using state-ofthe-
art technologies that allow pilots to find the
most efficient route for improved fuel efficiency and
passenger safety.
Enhanced Awareness
The IntuVue weather radar uses volumetric 3-D scanning and pulse compression
technologies to provide a complete view of the weather from 0 to 60,000
feet across a 320 nm detection range. IntuVue’s weather analysis tools help pilots better
understand weather hazards and calculate the best strategic and tactical responses. The unique
display capability combines both weather and terrain data to provide a more intuitive horizontal
and virtual view of upcoming weather dynamics – reducing or eliminating unnecessary route
deviations. Pilots can select individual slices of the airspace; including specific range, azimuth or
altitude displays, to make more informed routing and maneuvering decisions. These features have
demonstrated a 26% improvement in weather hazard detection over conventional radar systems.
Simplified Operation
Designed to be fully automatic, IntuVue does not require manual adjustments to the system or antenna for operation. To reduce pilot workload,
general weather detection is based upon the flight path data with constant updates of the latest
hazard assessments provided on the display screen. The system also improves cockpit
efficiency by virtually eliminating ground clutter via an internal terrain database. IntuVue also
automatically corrects for the earth’s curvature, to ensure the clearest, most accurate view of the
weather ahead.
Advanced Hazard Detection
As the first system certified to the FAA’s Minimum Operational Performance Standard (MOPS) for
enhanced turbulence detection, pilots will be better informed of air turbulence and have the ability to make safer, more informed route decisions. This advanced protection has
demonstrated a more than 45% reduction in turbulence related incidents – enhancing safety and passenger comfort and reducing costsrelated to damages.
IntuVue also provides inherent over-flightprotection with an aggressive down-tilt and 3-D scanning process. Hazardous cells below the aircraft flight level are identified earlier and displayed longer than traditional radar systems,increasing passenger safety.
IntuVue is the first radar to offer predictive windshear detection and alerting for aircraft with smaller antennas and it reduces hazardous weather false alarms by 15% which leads to more effective rerouting decisions.
Cost-Effective Design
Using only 3 MCUs, our highly compact radar system provides up to a 30% weight reduction, allowing enough space for dual system installation in less space than a current A708 standard system. This weight and space reduction can provide as much as $10,000 per year per aircraft fuel savings and allows for the additional avionics space to be allocated for other equipment needs.
IntuVue reduces maintenance costs by eliminating waveguide runs and switches. This advanced design feature also improves overall radar performance and system sensitivity by reducing RF signal loss to and from the antenna.
With improved diagnostics, the system requires less repair time and labor, which can result in over a 30% reduction in maintenance costs, with lower spares provisioning required. Additionally, our advanced radar processor and antenna drive components increases system reliability, which can directly decrease operating expenses by at least 30%.
IntuVue is available on the B777, B737, A320, A330 and A340 as SSFE/BFE equipment. It is also part of the integrated surveillance system—the Aircraft Environmental Surveillance System (AESS)—standard equipment on board the Airbus A380 and selected for the A350. Other certifications are pending.
The IntuVue family of advanced weather radars offer you increased efficiency, greater safety, and enhanced performance across your fleet. Future enhancements will include more intuitive displays,extended turbulence detection and other advanced features.
Key Benefits:
- Improves strategic maneuvering for rerouting sooner due to weather
- Reduces delays, turn backs and diversions
- Minimizes turbulence costs by reducing injuries, aircraft inspections and passenger concerns
- Lowers cost of operations by more than 35% through increased reliability*
- Reduces maintenance costs by more than 30%
- Decreases system weight by up to 30%, yielding a $10,000 per year per aircraft savings
- *Estimates based on Honeywell data
