Gulfstream hopes to achieve certification of the enhanced vision system (EVS) for the GV as early as December, with first deliveries of the product planned for next year.
The EVS integrates a Kollsman forward-looking infrared imaging system with a Honeywell/Marconi head-up display to give pilots clear imagery in poor weather. The indium antimonide IR sensor is housed in a blister beneath the radome, and protected from bird strikes by a heated sapphire window. Priced at around $500,000, the system will debut on the GV first, but will become available on the GIV-SP, says Gulfstream.
The system allows landings in Category III visibility conditions (50ft decision height and 700ft runway visual range) at non-Cat III-equipped airports. "The EVS therefore creates 2,301 potential Cat III approaches in the US, more than 500 in Europe and over 800 Cat II/III equivalent approaches in the rest of the world," says EVS senior experimental test pilot Gary Freeman. This may have a dramatic impact on operational flexibility and safety, adds Freeman.
Source: Flight International
