Black Watch

Helicopter brownouts have become a pressing problem for the U.S. military in light of current operations in the Middle East, where desert conditions can make landing a dangerous prospect. Spinning helicopter rotors create thick, swirling clouds of dirt and debris, making it difficult for pilots to control and stabilize their aircraft or see ground obstacles. The Air Force Special Operations Command has attributed the loss of more than 30 rotary wing aircraft and 60 lives in recent years to brownout condition.

Littleton, Colo.-based TerraMetrics Inc. has been awarded a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II contract by the Air Force Research Laboratory to research and develop a system that will help make helicopter landings safer during zerovisibility conditions in dry, arid regions such as Iraq and Afghanistan. The two-year effort supports Air Force special operations forces and leads up to a flight demonstration.

The TerraBlocks Clear-to-Land (CTL) system uses in-flight stereo cameras to capture terrain features and ground hazards, and produces an accurate, computer-generated 3-D terrain model of the physical landing location. Model details continue to fill in as more data becomes available. The “see and remember” approach provides situational awareness of the landing location when ground hazards and other physical features become engulfed in blinding dust clouds known as a brownout.

The CTL system uses passive sensors to avoid this detection issue, making the system ideal for use in operations requiring stealthy aircraft. The system builds on the display and rendering technologies of the TerraBlocks synthetic vision system, which was developed for in-flight use under contract to NASA’s Langley Research Center.

Greg Baxes This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Birdstrike Avoidance

The recent incident with the US Airways A320, birds and the Hudson River has focused attention on the problem of birdstrikes. Panama City, Fla.-based DeTect Inc. is a developer of advanced avian radar systems for detection, tracking and alerting of bird-aircraft strike risk at military airfields and commercial airports. DeTect originally developed the Merlin system for the U.S. Air Force to provide continuous automated detection, tracking and alerting of bird aircraft strike risk. Today, Merlin is the only production model avian radar technology in operational use with over 40 systems operating worldwide. The USAF currently has six systems and NASA uses the system to prevent bird strikes during space shuttle launches—a vulture was struck during a 2005 launch.

Carbon Fiber and Carbon/Kevlar Military Cases

ECS Composites, a provider of innovative rackmount and transit cases for the military, has released its carbon fiber and carbon/Kevlar military cases. The carbon/Kevlar composite is highly compacted, very lightweight, averaging 30 percent weight reduction, and adds ballistic characteristics to ECS’ nearly indestructible rackmount cases.

ECS’ carbon fiber and carbon/Kevlar rackmount cases are extremely lightweight and demonstrate exceptional structural rigidity. Military equipment contains unique performance and weight requirements. These new cases fit a variety of military applications including the need to be watertight, sealed from sand and dust, and shock-mounted.

“By using ECS’ new carbon fiber/Kevlar case we were able to reduce our case weight by 45 percent and meet MIL Spec 810F,” commented Jake Allen, research and development at Insitu Inc.

Virtually any type of equipment can be protected because the cases can be made in almost any size, and individualized internal cushion design can satisfy the shock and vibration protection requirements of each piece of equipment that is stored.

“With rising fuel costs, each pound of casing material means a pound less of vital equipment that can be transported. Lighter weight cases means more valuable gear can be loaded when necessary,” stated Joe Gran, vice president of sales for ECS. “These cases are totally unique in the industry and allow military personnel ultimate flexibility to transport mission critical equipment.” ♦

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