New York-based Moog Inc. has taken aviation a step further by pairing its GRC 4000 system with the Black Hawk’s Genesys Avionics Suite in a recent demonstration.
The upgraded UH-60 completed a fully automated flight — from liftoff and hover to cruise and landing — activated with a single button only.
By stabilizing the aircraft and automatically correcting its attitude, the GRC 4000 reduces workload while protecting against over- or under-speed conditions, boosting overall flight safety.
It maintains control from engine start to shutdown, performing reliably across all flight phases and environmental conditions.
“The future of aviation is increased safety and aircraft performance through automation,” said Nick Bogner, director of business development at Moog Avionics.
“The GRC 4000 performs constant, high complexity, control tasks allowing pilots to focus on mission-critical roles — while improving safety and ensuring mission success.”
Core Capabilities
The GRC 4000 autopilot manages the aircraft’s main movements with a compact design that allows easier installation on existing helicopters without major modifications.
It can automatically recover to a near-level attitude across all airspeeds, and its control augmentation stays active throughout every phase of flight.
Its pitch and roll controls maintain altitude, airspeed, vertical speed, glide path, and heading, keeping the aircraft on course using navigation signals.
Takeoff, hover, and landing can be executed automatically when the system’s fourth-axis mode is engaged.
