Northrop Grumman is supplying a modified LCR-100 Attitude and Heading Reference System (AHRS) for the newly certified offshore rig approach feature on Sikorsky's S-92A helicopter.

The automated rig approach capability assists offshore oil operators with approaching and landing on oil rigs and platforms by guiding the aircraft to location coordinates entered by the pilot.

The system is expected to reduce cockpit workload and enable safer landings, especially in challenging weather and operating conditions.

The LCR-100 AHRS provides critical navigation data to the helicopter's flight control computer to help achieve the required integrity, availability and higher levels of precision needed for the rig approach capability.

The unit was modified for rig approach to provide horizontal and vertical figure of merit data, which are essential to precise flight operations.

"The LCR-100 helps to make automated, precision approach to offshore oil platforms a reality, while improving safety margins and increasing navigation accuracy in low visibility conditions," said Eckehardt Keip, managing director for Northrop Grumman LITEF, the company's German navigation systems subsidiary.

Northrop Grumman LITEF attitude and heading reference systems, which feature a high-performance, fiber-optic gyro-based inertial measurement unit, have been standard products on the S-92A since the aircraft's production began.

This latest LCR-100 offering expands the product's capabilities that are particularly suited to the demanding rotorcraft environment, including search and rescue operations and offshore service.