U.S. Coast Guard MH-65 helicopters—a specialized variant of the Aerospatiale SA366 G1 Dauphin—will start to receive a new avionics architecture from Rockwell Collins, the primary provider of avionics to the Coast Guard since 1979, by the end of the year. This will support the Coast Guard’s plan to extend the operational life of the MH-65s, which will be re-designated as MH-65Es after the upgrade.
The retrofit includes all-glass, large-format digital displays that will increase video and imaging options. Multiple sources from outside and inside can be displayed, including video from a hoist and cabin cameras. External imagery will include infrared, radar and electro-optical systems. The capability to save images and videos will also be possible, for both immediate use and to download for later review.
It will also include an integrated civil and military flight management system from Rockwell Collins (Booth C1731). Improvement to search-and-rescue operations will be facilitated by full integration of a Rockwell Collins DF-500 direction finder into the new flight management system and display.
The DF-500 continuously scans for emergency beacons over a large frequency range and pinpoints the location of any detected beacons. Pilots can also set the system to fly directly to that position, fly a search pattern, if needed, and view the point or the flight plan on a digital map, weather display or terrain map.