The U.K. Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), with Finmeccanica‘s AgustaWestland, is developing technology designed to help helicopter pilots land more safely and efficiently in Afghanistan in whirling clouds of dust or sand.
Scientists from Dstl, part of the Ministry of Defence (MoD), have led the technical development of a pioneering approach to the problem of a low visibility landing (LVL) phenomenon known as helicopter brownout, which occurs when a pilot loses visual references due to dust or sand re-circulating during take-off or landing.
Follow-on development is nearing completion and, subject to normal approval procedures, the production system is expected to be deployed to front-line helicopters in Afghanistan.
Working with AgustaWestland engineers, Dstl scientists analyzed incident data to understand what happens and identify the cause, the Army Air Corps said in a statement. They also conducted a rapid technology assessment of as many available solutions as possible, including a simulator trial of one of the most promising technologies, 3D conformal symbology. This uses a small helmet-mounted display to provide a virtual 3D representation of the landing zone that stays fixed to the earth as the pilot approaches.
The symbology is carefully designed to augment the real world picture but also to provide all relevant information to allow the pilot to easily judge the height, speed and drift, the statement said. It then replaces the real-world cues when they are obscured by dust. The display can be also be fitted to night vision goggles to ensure 24-hour capability.
The technology recently was demonstrated at an industry event at the Honourable Artillery Company in central London to support the Government’s National Science and Engineering Week.
The Dstl/industry team conducted successful flight trials demonstrating effective 3D conformal symbology in a Lynx helicopter from the Army Air Corp Development and Trials (D&T) Squadron in conjunction with the Rotary Wing Test and Evaluation Squadron.
The team also conducted a further simulator trial using front-line Merlin helicopter crews to refine the solution and conduct a large number of helicopter take-offs and landings to show that the system did indeed make these safer, the statement said.
Army Air Corps Maj. John Peters, lead test pilot for the LVL program, said: “Brownout is a dangerous problem faced daily by U.K. helicopter crews in Afghanistan, when you come in to land the amount of dust blown up can completely obscure all visual references. This makes landing more difficult and dangerous and increases the risk of damage. The development of the low visibility landing system will allow helicopter crews to land much more safely in these conditions, giving them references when they would otherwise be blind.”
Research continues into ways to allow pilots to operate more safely and effectively in low visibility conditions; civil applications could include the emergency and rescue services operating in adverse weather such as fog and mist, the Air Corps statement said.