The first flight of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner on Tuesday December 15th 2009 was a milestone for Boeing as well as its suppliers, including Thales.

A Boeing spokesman hailed this first flight a success, adding that "our pilots told me the airplane performed beautifully". Thousands of Boeing employees greeted the landing with loud applause. The event was also viewed live at Thales facilities in France and the United States where employees were proud to see the B787 dream becoming reality.

In the cabin

Thales is supplying a number of key systems on the Dreamliner. Cabin systems being provided include the TopSeries in-flight entertainment system, which has already been selected by most of the airlines who are set to operate the B787. Passengers will also get to enjoy innovative cabin lighting and mood lighting systems, both of which have been developed and supplied by Diehl Aerospace, Thales's joint venture with Diehl.

In the cockpit

Thales is also present in the B787 cockpit, providing navigation systems (the ISFD, integrated standby flight display) and flight controls (in partnership with Honeywell, delivered again by Diehl Aerospace). Thales technology is also at the heart of the B787 electrical systems: the EPCS (electrical power conversion system), lithium-ion battery and charger.

In the electrical systems and beyond

The lithium-ion battery technology onboard the B787 is a case study in innovation and is the first instance of a lithium-ion battery being used on a commercial aircraft. Lithium-ion batteries boast such high levels of energy and power density that they require 50% less mass than standard technologies whilst achieving the same degrees of performance. Harnessing such high levels of density requires total command of safety and security aspects, which Thales has achieved by developing and integrating the lithium-ion technology within a 28 volt DC network.

Finally, Thales's training and simulation expertise will also be playing a key part in teaching pilots to fly this next-generation aircraft.