Digital cockpit design, leveraged for UH-60L Black Hawk upgrade, on display at IDEX
NewsFebruary 24, 2015
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates. Northrop Grumman Corp. engineers are showcasing the company's digital cockpit solution, which is being leveraged in an upgrade of the U.S. Army's UH-60L Black Hawk helicopters, at the International Defence Exhibition and Conference (IDEX) this week in Abu Dhabi in U.S. pavilion booth 02-A10, stand CS-2. Once upgraded the aircraft will be called the UH-60V.
The system, based on an open architecture design, virtually replicates the UH‑60M pilot-vehicle interface, enabling a common training environment and easier pilot transition between aircraft. The modular design also allows rapid capability insertion via software-only solutions rather than hardware additions. The system is aligned with the Future Airborne Capability Environment (FACE) standard managed by the FACE Consortium and supports integration of additional off-the-shelf hardware and software.
The cockpit design enables the same hardware solution to be applied to multiple platforms such as the UH-60, CH‑47, AH‑1Z/UH‑1Y, and E‑2D aircraft. A common cockpit solution allows streamlined training and logistical support, providing lower life cycle cost across multiple platforms.
The system's architecture enables third parties to potentially use a software development kit to write customized software applications and integrate their specific mission equipment into an integrated avionics system platform. Users may also add specific combat capabilities to their aircraft.
The cockpit also complies with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and European Aviation Safety Agency's (EASA's) Global Air Traffic Management requirements, which enable aircraft equipped the system to fly in the military and civilian airspace of the U.S. and Europe.
