Astronautics Corporation of America and WCF Aerospace have partnered to pursue a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for Astronautics’ AFI4700 RoadRunner® electronic flight instrument (EFI) as a retrofit solution for Sikorsky UH-60 A/L Black Hawk helicopters. Certification is expected in the fourth quarter of 2026.
The RoadRunner EFI STC is intended to address obsolescence of legacy analog attitude director indicator (ADI) and horizontal situation indicator (HSI) instruments currently installed across much of the UH-60 A/L fleet. The RoadRunner EFI replaces these aging displays with a single, modern, digital instrument while minimizing aircraft downtime and integration complexity.
WCF Aerospace—an FAA Part 145 maintenance, repair, and overhaul facility, authorized Astronautics dealer, and STC applicant—will support certification and deployment of the RoadRunner EFI for UH-60 operators seeking to maintain mission readiness while improving situational awareness and long-term fleet sustainment.
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Download free sample pages More information“This program is focused on keeping the UH-60 Black Hawk fleet mission ready by addressing avionics obsolescence with a proven, reliable solution,” said James Wells, president of WCF Aerospace. “The RoadRunner EFI allows operators to modernize critical flight instruments without the cost, schedule, and risk associated with full cockpit replacement programs.”
“This upgrade represents the only certified avionics modernization option for the UH-60 that replaces legacy ADI and HSI instruments without requiring a full glass cockpit conversion,” said Griffin Wendt, business development manager at Astronautics. “By delivering a certified, low-risk solution that improves reliability and situational awareness, this program provides an accessible modernization path for operators who need capability improvements without the expense of large-scale avionics replacements.”
Astronautics’ AFI4700 RoadRunner EFI interfaces with existing or upgraded attitude and heading reference systems, navigation radios, and global positioning system (GPS) equipment, enabling installation with minimal cockpit disruption and without requiring a full glass cockpit retrofit.
The RoadRunner EFI enhances pilot situational awareness by consolidating multiple navigation and flight overlays traditionally spread across several instruments. Standard overlays include course deviation, standard-rate turn, and VHF omni-directional radio map. Depending on helicopter configuration, optional overlays could include traffic collision avoidance system, external terrain awareness and warning system, GPS moving map, lightning detection, and weather radar.
With its proven reliability, the RoadRunner EFI reduces maintenance burden and lifecycle cost for operators.
The STC is expected to support UH-60 A/L operators across a wide range of mission profiles, including military, firefighting, search and rescue, and utility operations. Even though the RoadRunner EFI is instrument flight rules (IFR) capable, it provides enhanced situational awareness within the operational constraints of a day visual flight rules (VFR) aircraft as this is how a UH-60 A/L is certificated.
The RoadRunner EFI received FAA Technical Standard Order authorization in June 2019 and is approved under multiple FAA STCs, including for Leonardo A109/AW119 and Bell 212/412 helicopters. It is also installed on U.S. Air Force T-38 trainer aircraft and U.S. Navy Lockheed C-130 transport aircraft.
The UH-60 RoadRunner EFI STC will be approved under FAA certification and applicable in regions that recognize FAA STCs as an acceptable basis for approval. Letters of authorization for installation will be available for purchase through WCF Aerospace, enabling qualified third-party installers to support operators worldwide.
