KollsmanOpgal Success Story

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Kollsman-Opgal Success Story

• In the Service of Aviation Safety

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The Need

• When it is hazy, foggy and dark, pilots depend
  mostly on the instruments to fly the aircraft
• If they could only see the runway early enough
  they would safely land the aircraft
• If they can see other airplanes ground collusion
  will be avoided
• If they can see the horizon they will not lose
  orientation

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The Program Team

• Kollsman

• Opgal

BOSTON
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KOLLSMAN, 79 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE!

• Paul Kollsman

Gulfstream 550 EVS Modern Blind Flight
Jimmy Doolittle Worlds 1st Blind Flight (1929)

• Since 1928, Kollsman, Inc. Has Grown To Become A
  World Supplier Of
• Advanced Avionics
• Advanced Fire Control Systems
• Advanced EO Sensors and Optronics
• Homeland Security systems
• Medical Analytical Instruments

From the first Kollsman Window (1928) to the
aviation first All Weather Window Enhanced
Vision System (2001), Kollsman is leading the way
in Avionics and Electro-Optical Systems
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OPGAL Beyond the visible

• Founded in 1983, by RAFAEL.
• Equally owned by Rafael and Elbit.
• A leader supplier of Thermal Imagers,
• cameras and sensors.
• Land, Airborne and Naval applications.

• MARKETS and APPLICATIONS
• Defense OEM.
• Home Land Security.
• Fire Fighters, Rescue
• Law enforcement.
• Industrial and RD.
• Aviation EVS, GAVIS.

• PARTNERS CUSTOMERS
• Kollsman.
• Rafael.
• Elbit.
• US Navy USMC.
• Bullard.
• Thales.
• Asselsan.
• Northrop Grumman.
• Quickset.
• IAI.

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The Team Goal

• Kollsman and Opgal decided to take the challenge
  no one took before. They wanted to provide pilots
  with a system that will enable pilots to SEE. See
  at night, trough fog and during adverse weather
  conditions.
• Both companies decided to invest their own
  resources but and sought the support of the BIRD
  foundation
• Two years following the product FAA certification
  BIRD returned its investment

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The Challenges

• Technological - To develop a system that can see
  through layers of fog and at a dark night
• Regulatory - To change FAA regulation so that
  pilots will use the image out of an Infra-Red
  camera instead of visual eye sight
• Cultural - To work across the pond, across time
  zones and cultural differences

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The System
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PROGRAM MAJOR MILE STONES

• Opgal Kollsman team up late 1996.
• Feasibility study April 1997.
• BIRD approval September 1997.
• First flights Summer 1999.
• FAA certification 14 September 2001.
• First serial integration February 2002.
• Collier trophy winner for innovation 2003.

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Next Gen Products
Enhanced Synthetic Vision System
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Acknowledgment

• Thanks to all that helped making it happen
• The BIRD Foundation for the support
• Gulfstream Aerospace for their determination and
  being patients
• Federal Express for following up and ordering the
  system for all their wide body fleet
• Glenn Connor and MADL- Maryland Advanced
  Development Labs for flying the system in many
  foggy nights
• The FAA Flight Standards office for the support
• All the wonderful Opgal and Kollsman employees
  that made it a reality
• To everyone we forgot to mention

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Thank You!