BAE’s BLAST Sees Through The Dust | Aviation International News

BAE’s BLAST Sees Through The Dust

By David Donald • Contributor - UK

July 10, 2012

Of 130 U.S. rotorcraft lost in combat zones to non-hostile reasons between 2002 and 2008 around half were attributed to DVE (degraded visual environments), CFIT (controlled flight into terrain) and wire/obstacle strikes. These losses accounted for 49 percent of the 189 fatalities. Such compelling figures underline the importance of the efforts being undertaken to tackle DVE issues and to enhance situational awareness to reduce CFIT and strikes.

BAE Systems is developing a system known as BLAST (brownout landing-aid system technology) that uses 94-GHz millimeter-wave technology to see objects through a range of DVE conditions, such as sand, dust, fog, rain and snow. Adapted from the MBDA seeker developed for the Brimstone missile, BLAST’s Sandstone seeker provides terrain and obstacle imagery into head-down, head-up and helmet-mounted displays. Displays have been adapted to use standard U.S. Army BOSS and the UK’s LVL symbology.

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