Ramona Adams
Rockwell Collins has been chosen to supply new avionics to the U.S. Coast Guard for integration with the service branch’s fleet of Airbus-built MH-65 helicopters.
The updated avionics will be integrated into MH-65 aircraft beginning late 2019 as part of an effort to extend the helicopters’ service life, Rockwell Collins said Tuesday.
The effort will change the fleet’s designation to MH-65E and will include all-glass large-format digital displays designed to refresh video and imaging features.
Heather Robertson, senior director of rotary wing solutions at Rockwell Collins, said the new system is meant to optimize pilots’ situational awareness and lessen their workloads.
The new avionics will work to display multiple video feeds from outside and inside the aircraft as well as support the transfer of images and videos to a mission data recorder.
The updated system will feature open architecture that will accommodate the use of third-party applications.
Rockwell Collins’ avionics system will also include various technologies of the company, such as an integrated civil and military flight management system and the DF-500 direction finder.
DF-500 works to scan for emergency beacons over a large frequency range and identify the location of detected beacons to aid search and rescue operations.
