Curtiss-Wright to Upgrade U.S. Navy’s Sikorsky Helicopter Computer Systems

Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions has been awarded a contract by Lockheed Martin to provide its Modular Open-Systems Approach (MOSA) computers and video processing modules to upgrade the Mission Computer and Flight Management Computer (MC/FMC) on the U.S. Navy’s fleet of Sikorsky MH-60R/S Seahawk helicopters. The initial contract is valued at $24 million, with an estimated lifetime value of $70 million.

The use of Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS)-based MOSA solutions and commercial best practices will deliver cost-effective new capabilities and support more economical and timely upgrades of the helicopter’s avionics systems. 

“We are very pleased that Lockheed Martin selected us to provide our defense-focused open standards-based COTS single board computer and video processing solutions to support the upgrade of the mission computer and flight management computer on the U.S. Navy’s MH-60R/S helicopter fleet,” said Chris Wiltsey, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions. 

“This agreement, which further strengthens the long and successful relationship we have with Lockheed Martin, highlights Curtiss-Wright’s ability to enhance interoperability and improve cost efficiencies with electronics systems that adhere to the DoD’s mandate for a modular open architecture approach.”

The MH-60R/S MC/FMC upgrade will bring advanced display graphics capabilities to the fleet, providing compatibility with existing imaging and display systems and offering enhanced capabilities for future imaging sensors and high-resolution displays. 

The COTS modules also enable integration of Curtiss-Wright’s enhanced Trusted and Secure Computing features to ensure system resiliency and secure operation in response to cyber attacks.

Under the multi-year contract, shipments began in December 2020.