Genesys Aerosystems and XP Services announce FAA Supplemental Type Certification (STC) approval of the Genesys modernized avionics suite for the UH-60A and EH-60A Black Hawk.

While available as a complete avionics suite upgrade, the avionics building block design provides Black Hawk operators the flexibility of an incremental upgrade path to support constrained budgets and installation timeframes. The suite upgrade replaces legacy gyros, which are prone to failure and costly to repair, with solid-state, light-weight, digital Attitude/Heading Reference System.

“We are thrilled to bring an industry-leading cockpit upgrade to the Black Hawk that operators can finally afford.” Said Nick Bogner, Director of Business Development at Genesys Aerosystems, “Today, features like advanced synthetic vision and high reliability are standard requirements for an avionics upgrade program – the problem is accessibility – the upgrade costs have not been in reach until now. On top of that, Genesys offers the only retrofit IFR autopilot and digital attitude source to replace the obsolete and failure-prone legacy gyros; this package is truly remarkable.”

For operators seeking a full, modern EFIS upgrade, the four large format, NVG-compatible, MIL-STD IDU-680 smart displays replace all standard analog gauges. Each IDU-680 features synthetic vision, built-in FMS (Flight Management System) for both navigation and communication radios, HTAWS (Helicopter Terrain Awareness and Warning System), geo-referenced hover vector, and an elegant interface to special mission systems using Genesys’ patent-pending OASIS (Open Architecture System Integration Symbology) toolset. The dual GPS/SBAS navigation system supports all NexGen procedures, including the new PinS (Point in Space) helicopter approaches, USCG search and rescue patterns, and user-defined precision approaches. All engine instruments and master caution lights are replaced with quadruple redundant EICAS (Engine Indication and Crew Alerting System) display pages. Coupled to the avionics suite is a fully digital 3-axis IFR certified autopilot for ultimate safety and pilot workload reduction.

The suite also comprises of the new Genesys Digital Radio (GDR). The GDR features combined VOR, localizer, glideslope, and marker beacon navigation. For VHF communication, the radio has a frequency range of 118 to 136 MHz or optional 118 to 156 MHz. The GDR is a global radio solution with the ability for either 25 or 8.33 kHz channelization and a transmit power of either 16 or 25 watts. Lastly, for special mission and military operators, the GDR has embedded UHF 225 to 400 MHz communication available as an option.

The fully integrated system offers dramatic reductions in cost, weight, maintenance, and pilot workload, while remaining uniquely customizable for special mission applications as the portrait displays form a clean panel layout for an extra-large mission display.

“Building and customizing avionics pages using OASIS without compromising the TSO integrity is a game-changer for customers and a key feature that drew us to work with Genesys,” said Rod Allison, President of XP Services. “The ability for UH-60A and UH-60L Black Hawk operators to replace their legacy gyro-based avionics with a more advanced and reliable ADAHRS at a cost more in line with repairing a failure-prone gyro is significant.”