Ukrainian Helicopters has signed a contract with Becker Avionics to retrofit its 28 Mi-8 MTV-1 medium helicopters with the Becker DVCS digital audio system.

The operator is the largest rotary organisation in Ukraine and has been involved in global humanitarian, stabilisation and peacekeeping missions for more than a decade.

The DVCS system is said to have a number of advantages over analogue systems, including access to eight communication channels, eight navigation channels and remote capability for up to six pilots and up to 12 passengers. Clarity is also improved. It is fully programmable by aircraft operators, allowing each DVCS system to be configured specif-ically to that unit's needs without any additional wiring, switches or other modifications. Adding or removing a function to the system, new radios or any configuration change can be carried out through software.