L-3 gets ADS-B helicopter OK, cuts NGT-9000 price

L-3 Aviation Products has received approved model list (AML) supplemental type certificate (STC) authorization for the installation of its Lynx line of automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast products in rotorcraft certified under FAR Part 27.

ADS-B, which uses satellites instead of ground-based radar to determine aircraft location, is a key technology behind the FAA’s Next Generation Air Traffic Control System. The FAA has mandated ADS-B Out equipage beginning January 1, 2020, for operations in most airspace where a transponder is required today.

All of L-3’s Lynx ADS-B products are covered under the rotorcraft AML STC, including the Lynx NGT-9000 Mode S transponder—and the NGT-2500, NGT-2000, and NGT-1000, universal access transceivers that operate on 978 MHz.

“L-3’s top-of-the-line Lynx NGT-9000 is an all-in-one solution for rotorcraft operators needing to replace their aging transponder while achieving ADS-B compliance,” said Larry Riddle, L-3 Aviation Products’ vice president of marketing and sales for general aviation.

The NGT-9000 combines a touchscreen ADS-B transponder with a display for viewing ADS-B traffic and weather data in a single panel-mounted unit. It and most other Lynx models offer the ability to provide weather and traffic data to third-party iPad and Android pilot apps via Wi-Fi.

Active Traffic and Aural Alerting (ATAS) is an option available for the NGT-9000.

Rotorcraft covered under the Lynx AML STC include the Agusta AB-102 and Sikorsky 269, as well as a variety of models from Airbus Helicopters (Eurocopter), Bell/Textron, Enstrom, MD Helicopters, and Robinson.

NGT-9000 price cut through May

L-3 is offering discounted pricing through May 31, 2016, on the NGT-9000 system, which includes the transponder with integral display, installation kit, detachable configuration module, Wi-Fi interface module, and WAAS GPS antenna. The system, which has a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $7,860, is available from L-3 dealers for $5,490 through May 31. For more information, contact an L-3 dealer.