HC-130H GPS upgrade: a case study incorporating digital avionics into the cockpit

When designed in the late 1970's, the avionics suite for the US Coast Guard's HC-130H fleet contained state of the art components. Although the rapid advancement of electronics technology soon surpassed that employed in some of these units, the suites remained highly functional and economically feasible into the late 1980's. A desire to improve joint operability between the various military services coupled with the opportunity to capitalize on the advanced characteristics of current avionics components combined to enhance the viability of the Coast Guard's wish to upgrade the capabilities of its fleet. The Coast Guard finalized the plans and designs which incorporated digital avionics into a suite which formerly contained only analog components. The nonrecurring engineering necessary to perform this integration included the design of several new subsystems to allow for the interface between existing components and the new digital data bus. This case study reviews the project which encompassed the specification, engineering, testing, prototyping, and fielding of this combined system. In addition, it shall also review the documentation, simulation, and training associated with a project of this scope.