Rockford Xellerix to Support Pilatus PC-24 Electrification

February 22, 2019

William Kucinski

Pilatus Aircraft Ltd. of Stans, Switzerland has awarded a long-term multi-year contract to Abu Dhabi-based Rockford Xellerix for the assembly of wire looms and cable harnesses for the Pilatus PC-24 light business jet.

While the eight-passenger Pilatus PC-24 boasts an exceptionally rugged design – it can operate from unpaved airstrips as short as 2,930 feet – it also features an state-of-the-art “Advanced Cockpit Environment” (ACE) co-developed by Honeywell International Inc. of Charlotte, North Carolina. The avionics system, based on Honeywell’s Primus Epic 2.0 pulls system and sensor data from all parts of the aircraft to provides pilots with enhanced situational awareness, efficient workload management, redundant safety systems, and advanced navigation tools.

Learn more about aircraft electronics system and electrification

Four 12-inch high-performance color liquid crystal displays (LCD) form the foundation for the pilot’s interaction and experience with ACE’s array of sensors, functions, and features. (Image courtesy Honeywell International Inc.)

The ACE system, which includes Honeywell’s SmartView Synthetic Vision System, currently the most advanced synthetic vision system available, even enabled Pilatus’ to achieve single-pilot certification for the PC-24.

“We are highly impressed with the PC-24 aircraft’s design and technical performance. The aircraft’s internal connectivity architecture is both reliable and optimal in design. Rockford Xellerix is thrilled to be a strategic supplier to Pilatus Aircraft Ltd. and the first company in the UAE to build complete aircraft wire harnessing for an advanced jet of this capability,” says Nauman Arshad, founder and CEO of Rockford Xellerix.

Aircraft wire loom assembly at Rockford Xellerix (Image courtesy: Rockford Xellerix)

According to Pilatus, the aircraft falls into a unique market category, combining the versatility of a turboprop, the cabin size of a medium-light jet, and the performance of a light jet. The company refers to the Pilatus PC-24 as a “Super Versatile Jet” (SVJ).

“Pilatus has been a trusted partner of the UAE Air Force for over 30 years and we are committed to comply with the associated Tawazun Economic Council offset program requirements,” says Johan van Nieuwenhuizen, director of industrial participation at Pilatus Aircraft Ltd. “The partnership with Rockford Xellerix is not only a key element of the Pilatus strategy to embed the UAE in our global supply chain, but is also a pillar in our portfolio of offset projects.”

Rockford Xellerix, located in a secure facility in Tawazun Industrial Park (TIP), is the United Arab Emirates first and largest independent provider of reliable wiring and system solutions and manufactures high-reliable cable assemblies, harnesses, wire looms, control panels, electro-mechanical sub-assemblies, and full turnkey systems for space, air, land, and sea applications.

The Pilatus PC-24 on a rough, unpaved runway (Image courtesy: Pilatus Aircraft Ltd.)

William Kucinski is content editor at SAE International, Aerospace Products Group in Warrendale, Pa. Previously, he worked as a writer at the NASA Safety Center in Cleveland, Ohio and was responsible for writing the agency’s System Failure Case Studies. His interests include literally anything that has to do with space, past and present military aircraft, and propulsion technology.

Contact him regarding any article or collaboration ideas by e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .