Upcoming Mandates Boost Cockpit Voice Recorder Retrofit Market

Most U.S.-registered aircraft will soon need to be equipped with cockpit voice recorders that can record for a minimum of 25 hours, up from the current requirement for minimum recording capacity of two hours.

Last year’s FAA mandate—signed into law May 16, 2024 as part of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024—is aligned with International Civil Aviation Organization and European Union Aviation Safety Agency regulations. It requires aircraft newly manufactured on or after one year from the date of the act to be line-fit with a 25-hr. cockpit voice recorder (CVR), and for existing aircraft to be retrofitted within six years (by 2030). The retrofit provision was included at the recommendation of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

An Airbus spokesperson says the act requires the FAA to complete a final rule by 2027, to include the 2030 retrofit requirement.

“We have not seen a final rule published yet,” the spokesperson says. “However, we have had requests about equipment procurement and installation from airlines who have already opted to retrofit their aircraft with a 25-hr. CVR.”

Of the airlines that responded to Aviation Week Network’s inquiries, some are being more proactive about retrofits than others. Alaska Airlines reports it plans to begin a fleetwide, 25-hr. CVR retrofit in the coming months. At the same time, the airline is receiving new aircraft from Boeing equipped with those recorders. Sun Country has not yet planned a retrofit to date, being “early in the timeline.”

RETROFIT MARKET

With a regulatory mandate coming, CVR manufacturers see a growing market, combined with opportunities to field new products.

“We have seen a significant uptick in demand for the 25-hr. CVR, with compliance being mandated by 2030,” says Steve Leaper, director of customer facing/avionics, video and systems for external sales at Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions. “The mandate is a positive step forward to increase retrofit, since so many aircraft operators are using 2-hr. CVRs.”

Under a joint development program with Honeywell, Curtiss-Wright is supplying its Fortress recording technology for the Honeywell Connected Recorder-25 (HCR-25), which was certified by Honeywell in 2024 on the Boeing 737, 767 and 777. HCR-25 certification is also slated for the Airbus A320 family during the first half of 2025.

“Curtiss-Wright has expanded the bandwidth across all four channels to match the performance of the crew channel to that of the cockpit area microphone channel,” Leaper explains. “That will provide an audible picture of the conversations taking place in the cockpit with greater clarity.”

According to Borka Vlacic, director of product management at Honeywell Aerospace Technologies, HCR-25 was designed with retrofit in mind. “We think that will make it simple and easy for airlines and operators to implement,” she says, noting that downtime will likely mandate no more than an overnight check, though that will be dependent on the exact configuration of the aircraft and the accessibility of the location in which the CVR is installed.

“As a CVR replacement, it is a very simple, swap-the-box exercise, since it is installed in the same place and fits the same attachment points as the older unit, with no wiring or aircraft impact,” Vlacic says.

Airlines were already opting for HCR-25 prior to the FAA mandate as they upgraded fleets for commonality with newer technology and additional features, says Vlacic. “There has certainly been more interest after the mandate announcement, which is why we are encouraging operators to be early adopters—and not wait until the last minute,” she says.

Universal Avionics CEO Dror Yahav sees “a remarkable retrofit market opportunity” for Kapture, the OEM’s sixth generation of cockpit voice and flight data recorders (CVFDR). Available models include the combined CVR/FDR, as well as stand-alone CVR or FDR options, he says.

“It not [only] supports adherence to evolving regulations, but also significantly enhances data reliability and retrieval,” says Yahav. “Proactive operators are making the transition early to ensure their fleets comply with regulations, avoiding last minute disruptions and preparing for the future. While compliance is a critical factor, many customers see the additional benefits of extended recording time, improved durability and convenient access to data,” he adds.

Yahav says Kapture installations can be completed efficiently during an overnight maintenance check when replacing Universal’s fifth generation recorder. He says carriers with large fleets may phase in installations during routine overnight maintenance checks to avoid unnecessary downtime, whereas business aviation or special mission aircraft operators might upgrade during a larger, scheduled maintenance event, especially in tandem with other avionics upgrades.

“Kapture is uniquely suited to replace an existing Universal 120-min. CVR or FDR, or any brand of CVR and FDR using an adapter,” he says. Universal’s recorders are certified on Gulfstream, Embraer, De Havilland Canada, HondaJet and Textron Aviation products.

Darshan Gandhi, business development manager of Acron Aviation’s avionics recorder business, calls the retrofit market “a significant event for safety, driven by the FAA reauthorization bill.”

Acron Aviation’s Srvivr25 family of recorders includes its 25-hr. Srvivr25 7100.

“The mandate enables the NTSB and global accident investigation community to reliably have access to audio data during incidence and accident investigations by 2030,” says Gandhi. “Otherwise, without a retrofit mandate, Acron Aviation projects it would take over 10 years to get to 35-40% equipage, and 20 years to equip 75% of aircraft with 25-hr. recording capability.”

Gandhi says there has been significant interest in Acron’s Srvivr25 7100 series recorders, principally to update to the high voice and data capacity as per the retrofit mandate. “Another reason for increased demand is that datalinks for safety services are being used more and more across the U.S. via the DataComm Program,” he says. “This also requires recording the text messages on the CVR.”

Gandhi says most of the market demand is coming from U.S. Part 121 carriers. However, since the mandate impacts any airline operating in U.S. airspace, Acron Aviation is also seeing global interest from long-range operators.

GLOBAL INTEREST     

“We are also noting interest from Canada [due to] Transport Canada’s mandate for business and commercial aircraft to replace legacy recorders with those with a 2-hr. minimum recording capacity, and a recorder independent power supply (RIPS) by May 29, 2026,” Gandhi explains. “Operators who are looking to add only RIPS also find upgrading from legacy recorders with integrated RIPS as a more cost-effective option.”

Gandhi says installation down-time depends on the type of aircraft, age and multiple upgrades bundled together. “A simple upgrade to an ARINC 757, 25-hr. recorder with an integrated RIPS can be done during an overnight visit, but it may take longer should an external RIPS unit be required or the addition of a safety service datalink be included,” he says. “Also, operators may want to consider upgrading older cockpit area microphones to the latest audio quality standards.”

In anticipation of 25-hr. CVR mandates, Flight Data Systems reports a growing number of inquiries about its Sentry CVR, according to Vice President of Products and Services Behlul Poonawalla.

“Interest has grown due to recent incidents and the recognized value of mitigating safety issues, incidents and accidents,” says Poonawalla. He says the FAA mandate and Canada’s upcoming RIPS mandate are driving both the air carrier and business aircraft markets.

The current Sentry CVR has a 2-hr. recording capacity, but Flight Data Systems expects to introduce a 25-hr. capable Sentry CVR in 2026 in anticipation of these mandates. “The 25-hr. CVR is designed to directly replace the current Sentry, and we have developed an upgrade program to meet future mandates while minimizing downtime and fleet disruption,” he explains.          

Poonawalla says down-time for the Sentry installation depends on the CVR or CVFDR system already on an aircraft and the available supplemental type certificate packages. “Typically, installation can range from a few man-hours to a couple of days,” he says. “Although we believe that most are likely to be done during larger maintenance events, the installation process also allows for the possibility of completion within an overnight check.”