Ace Aeronautics, LLC is proud to announce the Republic of Austria has granted a fielding Airworthiness Release (AWR) for its integrated flight deck, the ACE DECK VL-60, as installed in Austria’s S-70A Black Hawk helicopters. The AWR marks the formal acceptance of the first of 12 aircraft slated for modernization with Ace Aeronautics’ ACE DECK VL-60 suite.

“The successful delivery and acceptance of the prototype Black Hawk marks a significant milestone in this program,” said Col Reinhard Zmug, Program Manager, Austrian Ministry of Defense. “The ongoing serial production will rapidly increase the number of operational Black Hawks to fulfill the assigned tasks. With this program, the backbone of the Austrian Armed Forces helicopter fleets – the Black Hawk–will be available for the upcoming decades with a state-of-the-art avionics suite,” added Col Zmug.

The ACE DECK VL-60 is certified for national and international airspace and is the most advanced day/night VFR/IFR, NextGen/Single European Sky compliant solution available on the market today for UH-60/S-70 aircraft.

Leveraging the technology, service, and support of Garmin, the ACE DECK VL-60 reduces pilot workload, enhances safety through increased situational awareness, and features an intuitive and revolutionary pilot interface. Garmin is the world leader in avionics with more than 20,000 flight decks in service worldwide.

“We, at Ace, have worked tirelessly to solve critical obsolescence issues with innovative solutions,” said Randy Nolin, Chief Technology Officer, Ace Aero. “We are excited to provide the Austrian Armed forces with increased capability, numerous safety enhancements, and a support package that will allow fleet operations to continue for decades,” added Nolin.

The base ACE DECK VL-60 is the first commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) IFR/RNAV flight deck upgrade for the UH-60/S-70 family of Black Hawk helicopters certified by the FAA. It includes industry-leading Synthetic Vision Technology (SVT), Helicopter Terrain Awareness and Warning System (HTAWS), and ADS-B IN/OUT.

Ace Aeronautics owns FAA Restricted Category Type Certificate (RCTC) #R00005RC for UH-60A helicopters. Additionally, Ace owns Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) #SR01944WI, and Parts Manufacturer Approval (PMA) #PQ03906SW that together authorize the manufacture and installation of the integrated flight deck onto UH-60A helicopters. The STC foundation, with its open architecture design, enables custom integration of specific mission equipment packages without impacting the civil airworthiness pedigree.

Black Hawk operators will find unparalleled features and key benefits exclusive to the NVIS-compatible ACE DECK VL-60. The app-based crew interface features a shallow menu structure, allowing pilots to quickly and efficiently access critical flight data. Exclusive software enhancements, only found in the ACE DECK VL-60, feature Engine Indicating and Crew Alerting System (EICAS) presentation, including Torque and Rotor Inset (TRI) on the Primary Flight Display (PFD), as well as an Ace-unique synoptic view of aircraft systems.

Black Hawk operators will find unparalleled features and key benefits exclusive to the NVIS-compatible ACE DECK VL-60. The app-based crew interface features a shallow menu structure, allowing pilots to quickly and efficiently access critical flight data. Exclusive software enhancements, only found in the ACE DECK VL-60, feature Engine Indicating and Crew Alerting System (EICAS) presentation, including Torque and Rotor Inset (TRI) on the Primary Flight Display (PFD), as well as an Ace-unique synoptic view of aircraft systems.

Compared to all other integrated flight decks, the ACE DECK VL-60 delivers unmatched connectivity through the XM and Iridium satellite networks providing global phone, text, and weather. The Austrian suite adds additional mission equipment, including tactical radios, tactical maps, Scorpion color helmet-mounted displays, active weather radar, and a tactical transponder.