Kollsman's All Weather Window EVS Sensors Hits 50-plus
With 50-plus All Weather Window enhanced vision system (EVS) sensors
in service with Gulfstream operators, and more than 100 shipped
to Gulfstream, Kollsman is making no apologies for its admittedly
costly approach. "We made the smartest decision," says
Itzhak Hevrony, vp for commercial air transport avionics, "with
a cooled sensor and the wavelength that we picked. We're still
making daily comparisons between our system and uncooled technology
-- but it's really incomparable. Nothing gives you the same performance."
The All Weather Window, based on a wideband infrared sensor provided
by strategic partner Opgal of Israel, is certificated on all the
big Gulfstream models and standard on the G550. Other manufacturers
have already decided to offer Kollsman's system on their aircraft,
says Hevrony, "but we're not in a position to announce them-we
should announce them in the next quarter." Most manufacturers
in the corporate business are looking at EVS, he claims.
So far, says Hevrony, the sensor has been reliable and the reaction
from operators has been "how did we ever do without it?"
Military operators in particular-the Kollsman EVS is aboard a
number of U.S. government and military Gulfstreams-report that
EVS has allowed them to get into airfields that would otherwise
have been obscured by dust, sand or fog. National Security Advisor
Condoleezza Rice has been one of the VIPs helped on their way
by the EVS on USAF C-37s.
Kollsman maintains that its system will retain a performance edge
over uncooled systems, whether or not they use dual-band technology.
As Kollsman understands them, dual-band sensors include a long-wave
sensor to produce the primary image, coupled with a short-wave
sensor that detects lights. Hevrony says that Kollsman's sensor
will out-range any uncooled sensor, particularly in fog or rain,
and that dual-band sensors are further hampered because the window
material that covers the sensor must be a compromise.
Kollsman exhibited an uncooled sensor, named Night Window, at
last year's NBAA show, but Hevrony says that the company "sees
few requirements from customers for this application," pointing
out that the cost of installation and integration starts to outweigh
the cost of the low-performance sensor. Its main function has
been as a demonstration tool to show the advantages of the cooled
sensor, he says. Kollsman is also convinced that the head-up display
is "the way to go, although we'll take the head-down display
as a compromise."
The company is, however, working to reduce the size and cost of
the current sensor while retaining its performance advantages.
"We don't call it a Mark 2," says Hevrony, "but
every time we adapt it to a new airplane we take a step forward."
The FAA is working on new rules that will formalize the process
under which operators of EVS-equipped airplanes can fly in lower
minima, and Hevrony sees this as a step towards wider adoption
of EVS in the airline business. (Many 737s in airline service,
for example, are already flying with head-up displays.) "Time
will tell, but there may be benefits to operations in marginal
weather, and that would make it easier for an airline to justify
a purchase," Hevrony says.
