Moog Receives FAA Nod for Autopilot on Black Hawk

Moog received FAA supplemental type certificate (STC) approval for its coupled GRC 4000 four-axis rotorcraft autopilot aboard Sikorsky UH-60 A and A+ Black Hawk helicopters.

Integrated into the Black Hawk Genesys avionics suite, the GRC 4000 was added to the existing Moog avionics STC that is approved for IFR operations, the Mineral Wells, Texas company said, adding that this will reduce pilot workload in IMC and low-altitude operations. Plans call for expanding such approvals to the L and S-70i models in the near term.

With four-axis capability, the GRC 4000 provides precise automated flight and hover-hold operations, automatic recovery to level attitude across airspeeds, and continuous stability augmentation in every phase of flight. The lightweight upgrade could be retrofitted on legacy Black Hawk fleets.

Matt McCall, director of business development at Moog Avionics, said the GRC 4000 is the first retrofit four-axis autopilot to be FAA-certified on the Black Hawk.