US Army Black Hawk Choppers To Get Upgraded Doppler Navigation Systems

The US Army has selected BAE Systems to provide touch screen computer display units (CDU) as an upgrade to the company’s ASN-128 Doppler GPS Navigation System on Black Hawk helicopters.

The self-contained, all-weather, day or night navigation system enables Black Hawk pilots to view real-time flight plan data.

This task order, which was awarded to BAE Systems under a current $226 million indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract, will bring touch-screen navigation system control to UH-60A/L Black Hawks. The Army plans to use the ASN-128 systems through 2035, and the upgrades will support safer operation for pilots by minimizing heads-down tasks.

“We’ve been a supplier for the ASN-128 program since 1978,” said Alan Dewar, director of Communications and Navigation Solutions at BAE Systems. “The full touch screen with moving map capability will improve safety for pilots, assisting our customer’s mission success.”

The CDUs will be produced at BAE Systems’ facility in Wayne, New Jersey, with circuit card production in Austin, Texas. Additional CDU delivery orders may follow as part of the Army’s upgrade plan. The initial order of 250 CDUs will be delivered in 2019 and 2020.

The company’s Doppler Navigation Systems provide accurate, independent, jam-resistant navigation in friendly and hostile environments and in operational situations where interference with GPS is likely. The system automatically selects Doppler navigation in GPS-denied environments.