The demonstration, which took place during the German Army Aviation's Helicopter Forum at its International Training Centre in Bückeburg, saw a Bell 206 helicopter fly the system, which combines Airbus DS' SferiSense laser-based sensor and the SferiAssist data fusion system to provide the pilot with a synthetic picture of his or her surroundings in DVE conditions.
With the laser-based SferiSense serving as an obstruction warning system and the SferiAssist combining the real-time sensor data with that from a database to create a clear and realistic picture for the pilot, the Sferion system aims to prevent controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) and 'brownout' losses of helicopters.
As part of the demonstration, Airbus DS showed that when used in combination with state-of-the-art flight control systems, Sferion is now the baseline for further developments of semi-automatic flying in DVE.
The Sferion product family comprises SferiSense 500, a 3-D light detection and ranging (LADAR) sensor, and detects, classifies, and displays environmental information and obstacles; SferiSense, a sensor-based environmental detection system; SferiAdvise, a spatial, tactical, and environmental information management and display system; SferiAssist, a system to help pilots land and take off in DVEs; and SferiRec, a system for flight and mission recording.
Elements of the family have already been fielded operationally, most notably the Sferion 500 aboard German Army NH Industries NH90 helicopters that were deployed to Afghanistan in 2012.
