The Swiss air force has completed tests of a new system to help helicopter pilots cope with low-visibility situations such as whiteout.
An Airbus Helicopters EC635 from the service was used for the three-day NATO-sponsored trial, fitted with Sferion nose-mounted Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) sensors and processors supplied by Germany-based Hensoldt. Integration work was performed by Swiss firm RUAG Aviation.
These fuse the LIDAR data with terrain maps to produce a composite image, shown on either a standard cockpit screen or a helmet-mounted display (HMD).
During the evaluations, carried out at Alpnach in the centre of the country, a BAE Systems Striker II HMD was used, says Roland Lörtscher, RUAG integration manager.
The HMD offers the “most efficient solution”, says Lörtscher, as “you always have it in your field of view, it doesn’t matter if you are looking out of the helicopter.”
Overall results were positive, says Lörtscher, and will help to shape future certification standards.
"The main thing is that there are not rules yet for such systems. This was an important part of the NATO trials, to assess certification baselines for such a helicopter."
Lörtscher says the integration effort was challenging, due largely to the short timeframe available: the project ran for just 11 months from inception until the end of the trials on 23 February, he says.
Although part of a NATO-backed evaluation, RUAG sees potential demand from the civil sector too, particularly from operators flying in challenging terrain or conditions.
Separately, Swiss air ambulance operator Rega is, in partnership with Leonardo Helicopters, to begin tests later this year in northern Italy of a new laser-based obstacle detection system.
Rega says the system will be able to detect objects such as pylons and wires up to 1.07nm (2km) in front of the helicopter.
If successfully validated, Rega will deploy the system on its ordered fleet of three AgustaWestland AW169s from 2021.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
