After popularizing the use of head-up displays, business jet manufacturers are now moving to broaden the impact of HUDs by combining them with enhanced flight vision systems.

An EFVS superimposes a video image provided by an infrared camera on the combiner of a HUD and/or head-down display (HDD), giving pilots a clear black-and-white image of the runway ahead at night and in some types of low-visibility conditions.

EFVS use in the bizav sector was pioneered by Gulfstream, which four years after certification has more than 175 systems installed, representing 10% of its total fleet. The Gulfstream EFVS--which uses a Rockwell Collins HUD and an IR sensor from Kollsman--is standard on all G450s and G550s, and is offered as an option on the G500 and G350. On all four models, the EFVS is integrated into the aircraft's Honeywell Primus Epic cockpit, so that the same software drives the HUD and HDD. The EFVS can also be retrofitted on the G300, G400, GIV and GV.

Dassault Aviation's EFVS, to be introduced in late 2006 on the Falcon 7X, will be the first bizjet model to feature a liquid-crystal-display HUD. View shows IR sensor.

Now, other executive jet makers are getting set to introduce the technology, driven largely by new FAA regulations issued early last year that allow business jet pilots to descend as low as 100 ft. AGL before making visual contact with the runway. The new rules greatly expand operational flexibility for bizjet owners, justifying the stiff price tag of the equipment (AW&ST Mar. 28, p. 54). Gulfstream's EFVS costs around $550,000, plus another $620,000 if the aircraft does not yet have a HUD.

Early next year, Bombardier will begin delivery of its Global Express XRS, the first model in its inventory to be equipped with EFVS as a standard fit. The EFVS uses a HUD from France's Thales and a second-generation SureSight I-Series IR sensor from CMC Electronics of Montreal. According to Mike Venables, senior marketing manager at CMC, the I-Series offers better noise quality, reliability and sensor aerodynamics than current-generation models, and weighs barely half as much. Thales maintains that the 40 X 26-deg. field of view of its HUD is greater than any other on the commercial market. The line replaceable unit will weigh less than 100 lb., including the HUD.

SureSight was certified by Transport Canada in December 2004 and the full EFVS in August 2005. In addition to the Global Express XRS, the display will be available as an option on the Global 5000.

In late 2006, Dassault Aviation plans to start deliveries of the first EFVS using a flat-panel liquid crystal display HUD for its new Falcon 7X. The Dassault EFVS will feature a SureSight I-Series sensor and a Rockwell Collins HGS5000 flat-panel HUD, integrated into its EASy interactive flight deck.

LIKE THE BOMBARDIER EFVS, Dassault's model is line-replaceable and compact. The unit, with HUD, will weigh barely 40 kg. (88 lb.), says Brigitte Bonneville, sales engineering manager for business aviation at Dassault.

Dassault was a late starter in the EFVS sweepstakes, only deciding in September 2004 to adopt the new technology. "Until recently, our customers just weren't asking for it," says Bonneville. Instead, Dassault had preferred to focus on Category 3A approaches using a HUD, which allow pilots to hand-fly the aircraft down to 700 ft. with a 50-ft. decision height.

Now, with 90% of 900EX EASy customers and half of 2000EX EASy owners opting for HUDs, clients are showing heightened interest in EFVS, which in addition to improved operability offers enhanced pilot comfort and lighter training requirements, engineers say.

After initial check flights in July, Dassault plans to commence a three-month flight test campaign in November with the aim of obtaining certification in mid-March 2006, says EFVS program manager Frederic Petit. The company has not yet established a price for the new equipment, which will be offered as an option on the 2000EX and 900EX EASy in mid-2006, but with a standard cathode-ray-tube HUD. But the system "has already attracted strong interest, including among 7X buyers," Petit says.

Other builders, too, are following the siren call of EFVS. Embraer plans a model for its Legacy midsize jet based either on an LCD or CRT type HUD. Boeing is contemplating an EFVS of its own for the Boeing Business Jet that could be used in conjunction with the Collins HGS2350/4000 HUDs already on offer.

The trend has even spread to the lower end of the market, where compact, lower cost sensors used in tandem with HDDs, instead of HUDs, are making the new technology feasible for smaller aircraft--even very light jets. This type of EFVS is not adequate for approaches, but gives enhanced situational awareness and safety, says Thomas Bosshard, CEO of Pilatus Business Aircraft of Broomfield, Colo. Pilatus expects to certify such a model based on CMC's uncooled M-Series sensor for its single-turboprop PC-12 in December. The model will be available for standard type certificate installation or retrofit in January for less than $100,000. Dassault is contemplating a similar approach for its smaller aircraft models.

Meanwhile, Gulfstream is working on a next-generation EFVS for which it established a center of excellence near its headquarters in Savannah, Ga., in mid-2004. Although the company remains mum on the technologies to be employed, the new version is likely to integrate a liquid crystal display HUD, such as the Collins HGS5000 or new models under development at Thales and Honeywell. Gulfstream says it would not expect to select a supplier before late 2007 or early 2008.

But the company is also rumored to be working on a millimeter-wave (MMW) radar sensor that would be effective in large-droplet conditions, for which IR sensors are inadequate. Other manufacturers such as Dassault say they envision adding an MMW capability at a later stage, once antenna size and image clarity problems are resolved.