Enhanced vision systems (EVS) will continue to improve in sharpness
and quality as the U.S. government releases new technology, predicts
CMC Electronics EVS director Rick Beasley.
CMC, which has just delivered its first SureSight EVS sensor for
Bombardier's Global Express with a focal plane array measuring 256
x 256 in pixels, develops its basic IR technology through U.S. subsidiary
CMC Electronics Cincinnati, which just won the contract to develop
the all-round IR sensors for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. "Those
sensors are more than 1K by 1K--that's about all that I can say,"
says Beasley. Since CMC could end up building as many as 36,000
units--each JSF has six sensors--they are likely to set records
for cost as well as performance. When they become available for
commercial use is "up to the State Department."
CMC "is talking to several major manufacturers and primes" about
new EVS applications, Beasley says. In some cases, the design authority
is the aircraft manufacturer (as with Gulfstream) and in others
an avionics manufacturer runs the show (as Thales does for Bombardier).
Which is best? "The answer depends on who you're working with",
says Beasley. "One OEM may have that set of engineering skills,
but another might prefer an avionics prime to work with."
