Honeywell Aerospace has completed testing of its “synthetic vision avionics backbone”, a system that can integrate data from multiple types of sensors into
three-dimensional images that helicopter pilots can use to fly safely in poor-visibility conditions.
The company tested the system using a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, but says the technology is intended for use on a range of current and future military aircraft, including so-called “future vertical lift platforms” being developed for the US Army.
The tests were done as part of a programme of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop sensors to help military aircraft operate safely in so-called “degraded visual environments”, or DVE.
DARPA is a division of the US Department of Defense.
Honeywell says the system detects obstacles, including terrain and power lines, and displays them in the cockpit.
Howard Wiebold, manager of business development for Honeywell, says in the release that the system is “sensor impartial”, meaning it can use data from “any number of sensors.”
“This open approach makes way for an efficient upgrade path, especially while research continues into new and improved sensors for use in DVE conditions,” he says.
The US Army’s CH-47 Chinook and Black Hawk helicopters may be the first aircraft to receive the system, but Wiebold says the technology can be tailored to the needs of the US Navy, US Marine Corps, US Air Force, NATO members’ militaries and commercial aircraft operators.
Honeywell’s media release references a Defense Department report that says nearly two-thirds of helicopter accidents can be attributed to pilots’ loss of
situational awareness and inability to detect obstacles like power lines.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
