Series installation of the sensor-based landing aid in the German CH-53 GS/GE helicopter starts 2603121

In the present situation, landings may raise much dust or snow which in turn considerably impair the pilot's vision. Landings have to be aborted very often for this reason. To mitigate this problem, the current landing method is used in which the secured crew chief lies on the opened cargo ramp of the helicopter, looks downwards and instructs the pilot via the helicopter's intercom system.

This method works because no dust or snow impairs the vision under the body prior to touch down. The new landing aid will alleviate the dangerous situation of the crew chief and will significantly increase the pilot's situation awareness.

A prototype was ordered in 2011 as a preparatory measure for the series installation of the sensor-based landing aid and by the end of the project a total number of 26 refitted CH 53 GS/GE helicopters as well as nine modification kits will be available for employment. Five to ten helicopters per year are planned to undergo a retrofit in the course of the four-year contract. All modification kits will have been procured by 2013.

The contract covering the new system was awarded to a consortium consisting of Eurocopter Deutschland GmbH (ECD) and ESG Elektroniksystem- und Logistik GmbH. It was signed by the Vice President of the Federal Office of Defense Technology and Equipment, Mr. Wardecki, as well as by the respective managing directors Mr. Ralf Barnscheidt (Dipl.-Ing.; ECD) and Mr. Gerhard Schempp (Dipl.-Math., ESG). In his speech, Mr. Wardecki emphasized the urgency of this measure with regard to operations and called for a rapid implementation of the services by industry

The system consists of the following sensors:
Two cameras below the body
Two high-precision radio altimeters
A GPS receiver
A geomagnetic field probe
A gyroscopic system for the detection of position deviations of the helicopter

The system transmits the images captured by the camera directly to screens in the cargo hold where they are evaluated by the crew chief. Any data collected by the other sensors are processed by means of a computer and displayed directly to the pilot. For this purpose existing screens in the cockpit are used as well as innovative helmet-mounted displays which project the data directly to an area in front of the pilot's eyes. This enables the pilot to have an outside view and an overview of the required information at the same time.