L-3 seeks $21.7 million from Cirrus in SmartDeck lawsuit

By: Stephen Pope

July 1, 2009
Avionics

L-3 Avionics Systems is seeking $21.7 million in a lawsuit against lightplane maker Cirrus Design over the cancellation of an order for SmartDeck cockpit systems and money allegedly owed for Stormscope and other stand-alone products.

In the lawsuit, the Grand Rapids, Mich.-based avionics maker alleges that Cirrus signed a contract to purchase 350 SmartDeck systems to serve as the “sole-supplier” cockpit for the Cirrus SR22-G3, but later reneged on the deal by partnering with Garmin for an SR22 cockpit called Perspective.

L-3 says Cirrus then agreed to go ahead with the purchase of 75 SmartDeck systems, but in December asked that L-3 not ship the systems because of a slowdown in aircraft orders. In February L-3 sent Cirrus a bill for $18.7 million to cover SmartDeck development costs. Cirrus allegedly replied that it owed L-3 only $3.5 million–the stated purchase price for the 75 systems.

Since then, “Cirrus has failed to pay any amount due to L-3 and has not responded to any communications from L-3,” the avionics maker said in its lawsuit, which is requesting an additional $2.99 million to recover money allegedly owed for stand-alone systems.

Cirrus has until July 7 to respond to the claims. A U.S. federal judge last month approved a transfer of venue for the lawsuit from Michigan to Cirrus’s home state of Minnesota.

L-3 had also been selected as the avionics development partner for the Cirrus Vision SF50 single-engine jet, but Cirrus in March announced a Garmin cockpit would be used in the production version of that airplane.
Neither company would comment on the lawsuit.  

Back

SmartPath Landing System Approved by FAA November 01, 2009 Honeywell’s SmartPath precision-landing system recently became the only ground-based augmentation system (GBAS) to receive FAA approval. GBAS... [more]
With G3000, Garmin brings touchscreens to flight deck November 01, 2009 Garmin caused the biggest stir at last month’s NBAA Convention by unveiling the G3000 integrated avionics system, a follow-on to the G1000... [more]
Gulfstreams, Falcons await cockpit upgrades November 01, 2009 Honeywell is about to release two long-awaited avionics software upgrades, the first for Gulfstreams flying with the PlaneView cockpit and the... [more]
Rockwell continues testing Pro Line Fusion cockpit November 01, 2009 Rockwell Collins has started flight trials of the synthetic-vision portion of the Pro Line Fusion integrated avionics system in a company-owned... [more]
Nextant Beechjet Pro Line 21 upgrade STC’d November 01, 2009 Nextant Aerospace announced at the NBAA Convention that it has received STC approval for its Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 flight deck retrofit... [more]