Cobham and Carson Helicopters have announced a partnership to provide an advanced suite of avionics for Sikorsky S-61, S-76, and UH-60 derivative helicopter retrofits.
The Integrated Systems business unit of Cobham Commercial Systems will supply a highly integrated flight deck that features large-format synthetic vision flight displays, advanced flight management capability, integrated hazard alerting (terrain, traffic, and weather), dual audio/radio control units, dual VHF navigation and communication radios, dual automatic direction finding systems, a distance measuring system, an integrated audio/radio management unit, an aft-cabin audio control system, and an optional mission computer and display system. Other features include geo-referenced hover vector display and a digital engine monitoring and crew alerting system with automatic, context-sensitive checklists for abnormal procedures.

Cobham was the first avionics company to certify synthetic vision and highway-in-the-sky navigation, and is already delivering area navigation and approach capabilities that comply with the FAA’s NexGen 2020 airspace plan. Cobham’s primary flight display is the only synthetic vision system in the world certified for IFR helicopter operations. Cobham is a trusted supplier of avionics and other subsystems for all major aircraft manufacturers as well as militaries around the world, and has built a reputation for innovation and safety-critical system performance in harsh conditions.

Carson Helicopters is a leading provider of performance modifications and modernization options for Sikorsky heavy-lift helicopters, including composite main and tail rotors, upgraded engine/transmission options, and fuselage stretching/shortening.

“An S-61 with our performance modifications offers the best combination of payload, speed, range, and cost of any helicopter in the world,” says Frank Carson, owner of Carson Helicopters.

“Adding Cobham’s advanced avionics dramatically reduces pilot workload, increases safety, and provides for future growth.”

“Cobham is delighted to join Carson Helicopters in bringing this capability to the market,” says Roger Smith, General Manager of Cobham’s Mineral Wells facility. “Cobham’s experience in ruggedized, flexible avionics is a perfect match for the wide variety of roles and operating environments of heavy-lift helicopters.”

This new avionics suite, which Carson will offer along with other performance modifications, will initially be certified on the Sikorsky S-61, followed by the S-76 and UH-60.

About Cobham
Cobham specializes in meeting the insatiable demand for data, connectivity and bandwidth in defense, security and commercial environments. Offering a technically diverse and innovative range of technologies and services, the Group protects lives and livelihoods, responding to customer needs with agility that differentiates it. The most important thing we build is trust. Employing more than 11,000 people on five continents, the Group has customers and partners in over 100 countries, with annual revenue of some £1.9bn /US$3 billion.

About Cobham Commercial Systems
Cobham Commercial Systems is a leading provider of integrated avionics systems, emergency locator systems and radar and missile electronics for military and civil customers. Cobham’s avionics systems can be offered individually or integrated to provide an entire cockpit. Its synthetic vision Electronic Flight Instrument System (EFIS) revolutionised safety in low-level flight operations and is now approved on more than 700 aircraft and helicopter models.

Cobham’s new Helicopter Stability Augmentation System (HeliSAS) adds to its extensive range of fixed wing auto-pilot solutions and brings added safety within the reach of a host of operators for whom such systems were previously too expensive and heavy. Cobham Commercial Systems is also an acknowledged expert in Emergency Locator Transmitter and Personal Locator Beacon technologies, from personal units to Original Equipment Manufacturer mounted systems on airliners and helicopters. Its radar and missile RF front end electronics are part of many radars, missiles, and space and commercial radar systems as well as leading edge Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) solutions.

About Cobham Integrated Systems
Cobham Integrated Systems is a leading provider of integrated avionics systems, emergency locator systems and radar and missile electronics for military and civil customers. Cobham’s avionics systems can be offered individually or integrated to provide an entire cockpit. Its synthetic vision Electronic Flight Instrument System (EFIS) revolutionized safety in low-level flight operations and is now approved on more than 700 aircraft and helicopter models. Cobham’s new Helicopter Stability Augmentation System (HeliSAS) adds to its extensive range of fixed wing auto-pilot solutions and brings added safety within the reach of a host of operators for whom such systems were previously too expensive and heavy.