UH-60V joins Pennsylvania National Guard
The UH-60V integrated mission equipment package includes OpenLift open architecture avionics from Northrop Grumman in a modernised glass cockpit. (Photo: Northrop Grumman)
First US Army unit operates Black Hawk with avionics upgrade.
The first UH-60V Black Hawk helicopter upgraded with a new integrated avionics suite has entered service with the Pennsylvania National Guard at Fort Indiantown Gap.
The helicopter features OpenLift modular, open-architecture avionics from Northrop Grumman, which stated on 11 August that the UH-60V ‘enhances aircrew situational understanding and mission safety while reducing pilot workload’.
The avionics suite includes a pilot-machine interface resembling that on the UH-60M, enabling common training and operational employment. The system has been approved for export, and it is certified by the US Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Aviation Missile Center for operation under Visual Flight Rules.
Northrop Grumman stated that OpenLift is configurable for installation on numerous aircraft types, and James Conroy, VP of navigation, targeting and survivability at Northrop Grumman, claimed: ‘The OpenLift modular, open systems architecture gives the Army a highly survivable UH-60 that can be upgraded over time to meet changing mission requirements, and it bridges the enduring and Future Vertical Lift fleets.’
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