Lufthansa Technik’s ‘TIOS+’ radome (TIOS meaning Three-In-One-Solution) has found its first customer, with the company signing a contract with a customer for the development and delivery of the technology. The customer’s name has not been disclosed, but Lufthansa Technik indicates that it is “a renowned completion center for VIP aircraft”, which intends to install the radome on a Boeing 737 MAX 8 by the end of 2018.
TIOS+ is a triple Band (L, Ku, Ka), fuel-efficient tail-mount radome for the B737 family. The system comes nearly 20 years after the introduction of the TIOS (Two-In-One-Solution) radome, which has been enhanced for use with Ka-band installations. TheTIOS+ system was developed in-house at Lufthansa Technik’s ARC (airframe-related components) manufacturing facility in Hamburg within just six months.
According to the company, future development aims of TIOS+ include adapting it for use on at the Boeing
737 MAX 7 and 737 MAX 9 aircraft types.