EADS, EADS and DRS Technologies, Inc. announced today they have signed a cooperation agreement that establishes an industrial framework for helicopter avionics production in the United States, coupled with joint sales and marketing initiatives.
The agreement signed during the Paris Airshow in Le Bourget pertains to EADS Defence Electronics' HELLAS obstacle warning system currently being used by the German Federal Police and the Royal Thai Air Force and foreseen for the installment on the NH90 helicopter.
The HELLAS system was developed to be used in helicopters and is a laser-based system, which reliably detects obstacles even if the pilot has difficulties seeing them during flights. It scans the area in front of a helicopter with a laser beam, which is not harmful to the human eye, and detects even thin wire at distances of up to 1,000 meters and with high precision.
“HELLAS is the only certified operational system worldwide which is able to protect helicopters against the collision with almost invisible obstacles,” said Bernhard Gerwert, CEO of EADS Defence Electronics. “Together with DRS we will be well positioned to offer U.S. military forces a proven system that could reduce the risk of dangerous flight missions considerably.”
With the latest version of HELLAS, the pilot sees a depth and grey-scale image of the terrain in front of the helicopter. Potential obstacles are displayed in a red signal color in such a way that they can be recognized by the helicopter crew in good time and safely circumnavigated. It has been successfully evaluated by the U.S. Army’s Foreign Comparative Testing program.
“HELLAS rounds out DRS’ flight safety product line and allows us to offer complete system solutions for helicopter brown out landings and obstacle avoidance,” said Alan Dietrich, president of DRS Technologies’ Intelligence Technologies Strategic Business Unit.
EADS Defence Electronics is an integrated Business Unit of EADS Defence & Security (DS). DS is a systems solutions provider combining military air systems, missile systems, communications and intelligence systems, global security solutions, sensor and avionics systems, as well as test and support solutions into a single effective network. In 2006 DS – with approximately 23,000 employees – achieved revenues of EUR 5.9 billion. EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In 2006 EADS generated revenues of EUR 39.4 billion and employs a workforce of about 116,000.
DRS Technologies, headquartered in Parsippany, New Jersey, is a leading supplier of integrated products, services and support to military forces, intelligence agencies and prime contractors worldwide. The company employs approximately 10,000 people.
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