Ace Aeronautics LLC has been granted an airworthiness release from the Republic of Austria on its first of 12 aircraft that have been outfitted with the company’s integrated flight deck, the ACE Deck VL-60. The decks are installed on Austria’s S-70A Black Hawk helicopters.
“The successful delivery and acceptance of the prototype Black Hawks marks a significant milestone in this program,” said Col. Reinhard Zmug, program manager, Austrian Ministry of Defense. “The ongoing serial production will rapidly increase the number of operational Black Hawks to fulfill the assigned tasks.”
The ACE Deck VL-60 is certified for national and international airspace and reduces pilot workload while enhancing safety through increased situational awareness. Supported by Garmin, a world leader in avionics, the deck features an intuitive pilot interface that provides critical flight data to the crew. It is connected through XM and Iridium satellite networks, providing global phone, text and weather, which is then augmented with other suite choices made by the customer.
Ace Aeronautics, headquartered in Guntersville, owns two certificates and has parts manufacturer approval, which authorizes it to offer the integrated flight deck onto UH-60A helicopters. The company’s Deck VL-60 is the first commercial-off-the-shelf IFR/RNAV flight deck upgrade for the UH-60/S-70 family of Black Hawk helicopters certified by the FAA. It includes synthetic vision technology, helicopter terrain awareness and warning system and ADS-B In/Out.
“We, at Ace, have worked tirelessly to solve critical obsolescence issues with innovative solutions,” said Randy Nolin, the company’s chief technology officer. “We are excited to provide the Austrian armed forces with increased capability, numerous safety enhancements and a support package that will allow fleet operations to continue for decades.”
Defense on BA here.
