The C-17 multifunction display, a building block for avionic systems

The C-17 multifunction display (MFD) has been developed for use as the primary cockpit display system on the US Air Force C-17A military air transport. The 6-inch by 6-inch color cathode ray tube (CRT) display features a self-contained 1750 processor and vector generator (VG) capable of processing MIL-STD-1553B aircraft data and raster video into any of 10 formats as selected by the pilot or copilot. The MFD can display stroke, raster, or hybrid formats in 16 colors. Raster images are driven by sensor inputs with an RS-170 or RS-343 interface. The CRT uses a taut mask delta gun design and provides the best available brightness and line-width performance. Due to its self-contained nature and multiformat capability, reconfigurability in the aircraft is enhanced by using four identical cockpit displays. It is pointed out that its small size, low weight, low power, standard interface, and adaptable software make the C-17 MFD an attractive choice for future avionic upgrades