The US Army has received the software that will enable the UH-60V Black Hawk helicopter to enter the critical Limited User Testing (LUT) phase, Northrop Grumman has announced.
As part of a contract originally awarded in 2014, Northrop Grumman has partnered with the US Army Prototype Integration Facility – together with prime contractor Redstone Defense Systems – to modernise the military’s UH-60L helicopter fleet via a host of analogue to digital cockpit upgrades.
Specifically, Northrop Grumman will provide the integrated avionics suite for the upgraded helicopter, now designated UH-60V. The digital cockpit software build delivered to the US Army includes all of the functionality required for LUT – the process by which operational readiness, capability and compatibility with the UH-60M pilot-vehicle interface are judged. Crucially, the findings will inform the Milestone C Low Rate Initial Production or LRIP decision. To date, the UH-60V is scheduled to enter LRIP in 2019.
“This software delivery milestone is an important step forward in our journey to provide cutting-edge capabilities and mission-enabling solutions to warfighters through an affordable, low-risk digital cockpit upgrade,” said Ed Griebel, Director of the Land & Avionics C4ISR Division at Northrop Grumman. “Our mission solution preserves investment in the Black Hawk fleet while modernizing the aircraft to provide warfighters with a decisive advantage.”
It’s another key milestone for the modernisation project. The very first digitised UH-60V Black Hawk previously took to the skies in January 2017.
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