A pair of U.S. Army UH-72A Lakotas California’s Fort Irwin. Garmin supplies avionics for the Airbus-manufactured Lakotas. (Garmin)
Airbus Helicopters presented Garmin its top honor of the year, the Supplier of Excellence award, in recognition of the supplier’s work on the U.S. Army UH-72 Lakota.
Garmin has equipped more than 430 Lakotas for Airbus. The Eurocopter designed utility aircraft have been outfitted with a Garmin transponder and the panel-mounted GNS 430 integrated avionics system. The system saves cabin space by including a TSO-certified GPS, 2280-channel capacity communications system and 200-channel instrument landing system/very high-frequency omnidirectional range (ILS/VOR) with localizer and glideslope to aid in approaches.
“Out of hundreds of suppliers, it is humbling to be selected as the top supplier of the year,” said Carl Wolf, Garmin VP of aviation sales and marketing. “As we look to the future, we look forward to growing our relationship with Airbus Helicopters even further so we can continue to deliver superior products to our respective customers.”
This was the fourth annual supplier awards hosted by Airbus Helicopters. The categories and format have changed through the years, but past companies honored have included Rockwell Collins and Chelton Ltd. This year, five awards were given, including on-time delivery, quality and most improved as well as the excellence award given to Garmin.