WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. — The UH-60V Black Hawk helicopter, enabled by the OpenLift architecture developed by Northrop Grumman, has been granted an instrument flight rules airworthiness release by the U.S. Army Systems Readiness Directorate. This will allow pilots to fly the UH-60V in all weather conditions.
“Achieving IFR airworthiness is a major milestone for the UH-60V with OpenLift,” said Lindsay McEwen, vice president, navigation, targeting and survivability, Northrop Grumman. “Crews can now experience the unique capabilities of this open-architecture aircraft in all conditions.”
The UH-60V with OpenLift upgrades the current UH-60L aircraft, replacing the legacy cockpit with a fully open, digital and integrated avionics package. The pilot-vehicle interface is nearly identical to that of the UH-60M, allowing for common training and operational employment.
Open, safe and secure, the UH-60V has achieved airworthiness for its multi-core processor – a first for an Army Black Hawk helicopter. This allows flight critical systems to be safely separated from mission software and enables the use of third party applications.
OpenLift has been flight demonstrated on the AH-64E Apache and can be extended to other aircraft in the Enduring fleet, as well as planned Future Vertical Lift aircraft. It is currently exportable for Black Hawk and other platforms.
