Israel's Controp is teaming with Pharovision to provide adapted electro-optical/infrared sensors for two new aviation safety systems.
Designed to combat the separate issues of bird strikes and foreign object debris (FOD), Controp has introduced the Interceptor automatic detection and tracking system and the Sentinel FOD detection system.
Interceptor provides automated scanning and real-time warnings of potential collisions with wildlife - both in the air and on the ground - without the need for user interaction.
The US Federal Aviation Administration evaluated Interceptor at New York’s La Guardia airport and it is being further assessed by the agency at Whidbey Island in Washington, USA.
Sentinel, meanwhile, provides continuous scanning of runways and taxiways to detect debris, and “exceeds all requirements” of the FAA criteria for FOD detection.
Both systems integrate a thermal imaging camera with electro-optical sensors, a day camera and a laser range finder.
Meanwhile, a number of airports in the USA are evaluating another Israeli-developed combined FOD detection and wildlife tracking system, the RunWize.
The system was in 2015 installed at Sea-Tac airport in Seattle. Integration was made by prime contractor Leidos, and RunWize has successfully passed site acceptance testing.
It works by using hybrid optical radar remote-sensing technology and strategic positioning of its sensors alongside the runway edge lights.
Source: Flight Daily News
