Elbit Systems (Chalet 200, Static A8) launched a new system that provides increased levels of situational awareness to helicopter crews flying in a degraded visual environment (DVE). Called BrightNite, the system is aimed primarily at utility transport helicopters to provide their crews with the kind of DVE-piloting capabilities that are enjoyed by crews of attack helicopters.

According to U.S. Army Aviation figures, around one-fifth of Class A and B mishaps experienced in recent years have been attributable to spatial disorientation or loss of situational awareness in a degraded visual environment (DVE). Flying helicopters tactically at low level is already a high-workload mission due to terrain, power lines and other obstructions, as well as hostile action.

Adding the dangers of DVE–complete darkness, poor weather, brown-out, white-out and sandstorms–dramatically increases that workload. Traditionally, the only aid available has been light-intensifying night vision goggles.

BrightNite is a lightweight and cost-effective system that aims to enable intuitive head-up, eyes-out flight in pitch darkness and other DVE conditions. It comprises non-gimballed uncooled FLIR and complementary metal-oxide semi-conductor (CMOS) sensors that provide a panoramic image that is projected on to an ANVIS/HUD helmet-mounted display.

This image display is overlaid with a synthetic layer that follows terrain contours, and a third layer of 3-D conformal symbology that presents mission information, highlights hazards and provides tactical data with zero latency. Multiple crewmembers can simultaneously scan the entire field of regard with the same system. Elbit claims that BrightNite will allow utility helicopter crews to fly in more than 90 percent of night conditions.