REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. – U.S. Army aviation experts are choosing the RTX Corp. Collins Aerospace segment to support and upgrade the avionics displays for the UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter under terms of a $95.7 million contract announced last week.
Officials of the Army Contracting Command at Redstone Arsenal, Ala., are asking Collins Aerospace for support services and incidental materials for the UH-60M Black Hawk Multi-Functional Display (MFD) Avionics Suite.
This cockpit display avionics system is part of the UH-60M's glass cockpit, and replaces older analog gauges. It helps pilots monitor flight, navigation, systems, and mission information more effectively than legacy analog gauges.
These displays are large electronic screens in the UH-60M cockpit that present a wide range of aviation data — such as flight instruments, navigation maps, engine and system status, alerts, and mission information — in configurable formats.
Fly-by-wire flight
They are part of a digitized avionics suite based on a fly-by-wire glass cockpit architecture. The displays are connected by data buses and are integrated with other systems such as navigation, GPS/INS, and autopilot.
These digital displays significantly can enhance pilot situational awareness, reduce pilot workload, and support primary flight and navigation information; digital moving maps; systems monitoring; and integrated mission data.
Displays work with onboard navigation units like embedded GPS, inertial systems, and flight management systems to handle positioning and guidance. Data from sensors, radios, and avionics computers feed into the displays to give pilots a consolidated view of critical information.
The Army UH-60M Black Hawk is a multi-role utility helicopter for troop transport, medevac, and logistical missions. It’s the latest upgraded variant of the original UH-60 Black Hawk, with improvements in engines, avionics, and survivability.
Digital cockpit
The helicopter's digital cockpit has the Collins Aerospace MFD-268C4 multifunction displays, integrated flight management, navigation, and mission systems that offer improved situational awareness.
The helicopter can carry 11 fully equipped soldiers; internal cargo or external sling loads; can carry six stretchers and 2 medical attendants; and can be fitted with door-mounted machine guns or rocket pods.
On this contract, Collins Aerospace will do the work at locations to be determined with each order, and should be finished by February 2031. For more information contact Collins Aerospace online at www.rtx.com/collinsaerospace/what-we-do/industries/military-and-defense/displays-and-controls/airborne/head-down-displays/mfd-268-multi-function-display, or the Army Contracting Command-Redstone Arsenal at https://acc.army.mil/contractingcenters/acc-rsa/.
