Low-Cost, Compact, Multi Directional Low Airspeed Indicator for Rotary Wing Aircraft

The War on Terror has produced new, asymmetric warfare threats — ever-more-sophisticated explosive mines on land and at sea. The Navy has moved to incorporate mine counter measures (MCM) into an organic approach where combat units themselves handle counter-mine assets and perform their functions as part of an ongoing military operation. The Navy’s organic airborne MCM platform, the MH-60S, hosts several airborne MCM systems, two of which are towed mine-hunting and sweeping systems. These systems require that the MH-60S fly low and slow to maintain the search pattern. It is challenging to maintain track and control with the lack of geographic markers and the effect of local winds on the air vehicle path. The provision of multi-direction low airspeed indicators would decrease the pilot workload and improve the performance in continuous, low-speed missions. Ophir proposes to leverage our previous work with airspeed laser radars to develop a small size, weight and power, low cost, and eye-safe system. This sensor is capable of providing range-resolved, profiles of multi-directional airspeed for the full 360° field of regard around the air vehicle in “clean”, undisturbed air, outside of the rotor wash. This airspeed information will be conveyed through simple representation on the pilot’s control panel.