Following FAA certification of the Smart Link Plus box for Bombardier Challenger 300 and 350 aircraft last week, Bombardier has begun installing the health monitoring unit on these models. Developed in collaboration with GE Aviation and announced at the 2019 NBAA-BACE, Smart Link Plus records aircraft data that allows flight and maintenance crews to proactively troubleshoot aircraft in-flight fault notifications.
First introduced as original equipment on the Global 7500, Bombardier is offering the box for free—not including installation charges and annual Smart Link Plus subscription fees—to existing Global and Challenger owners. Certification of the box for Challenger 604, 605, and 650 and Global aircraft is expected in the coming months. Eventually, Bombardier plans to add the box to all new production aircraft, a spokeswoman told AIN.
At the time of the announcement, Bombardier estimated more than 2,500 in-service Challengers and Globals were eligible for the aftermarket installation. The Canadian airframer further added that more than 98 percent of current Global 7500 owners have enrolled in the Smart Link Plus service.
