The Human Factors Engineering and Design Processes Employed in the Development of the Two-Man Crew Multi-Mission SH-2G(A) Maritime Helicopter

The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) has a requirement to conduct multi-mission operations with an aircrew consisting of a single pilot and single Tactical Officer (TACCO). The maritime multi-mission SH-2G(A) helicopter is required to perform day-night surface surveillance, anti-surface warfare, search and rescue, utility transfers and small-deck Recovery Assist Secure and Traverse (RAST) operations. Current multi-mission naval helicopters typically require a crew of three to achieve these capabilities. To safely and efficiently accomplish these missions in all weather conditions, at low altitudes, for both day and night scenarios, required substantial modifications to the SH-2G cockpit, and a change in philosophy for the aircrew in their cockpit work load and operational processes. The change from a conventional SH-2G “steam gauge” cockpit to the SH-2G(A) “glass” cockpit allowed the design team to develop the new configuration from the ground up, in order to satisfy the two-crew operational requirements. This presentation will discuss the human factors design and development processes used to incorporate an Integrated Tactical Avionics System (ITAS) into the SH-2G(A) helicopter. These changes resulted in an optimized two-crew helicopter configuration, developed with an integrated systems approach, and designed to maximize the operational capability of the platform and crew to safely conduct the required missions.