Sandel Avionics has announced it has completed the ground test phase of a U.S. Navy demonstration evaluation (Demval) of its ST3400H HeliTAWS wire and terrain avoidance system in a Sikorsky SH-60 test bed, successfully interfacing with the helicopter’s existing avionics and electrical systems. The next step of the program will be to install the COTS (commercial off-the-shelf) HeliTAWS unit in a Sikorsky SH-60F helicopter and begin flight testing.

“We’re pleased that the U.S. Navy has recognized the capability and value that our HeliTAWS offers, and that we are demonstrating how readily our commercial system interfaces with the standard 1553B bus architecture found on military aircraft,” said Gerry Block, Sandel’s president.

Sandel’s HeliTAWS is a 3-ATI wire and terrain safety system that incorporates the revolutionary WireWatch™ wire-strike avoidance feature, a Sandel invention that protects helicopters from the nearly invisible threat of known wires, guy lines and transmission lines.

The ST3400H is also a full-featured helicopter terrain avoidance warning system (HTAWS) that includes Sandel’s proprietary TrueAlert™ technology to eliminate nuisance alerts, a problem that other HTAWS products have not been able to overcome. With TrueAlert, pilots can safely take off, cruise, hover and land at off-airport locations without triggering nuisance alerts, while still receiving the established benefits of Class-A terrain and obstacle warnings during the entire flight. The system is completely automatic and does not require pilot management of the phase of flight. Other benefits of the ST3400H include its built-in, high-resolution 3-D terrain display and NVIS compatibility.

This project is sponsored by the Defense Safety Oversight Council (DSOC) and is being executed under the National Defense Center for Energy and Environment (NDCEE), operated by Concurrent Technologies Corporation (CTC).

Sandel Avionics, located in Vista, California, is a privately held company that provides compact integrated display systems for fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft in the business aviation, air transport and regional, and military markets. Its products include the company’s best-selling, turbine-class ST3400 TAWS for fixed-wing aircraft, its 3-ATI and 4-ATI retrofit primary flight displays, and its ST3400H HeliTAWS, the helicopter industry’s first complete wire and terrain safety solution.  Learn more at www.sandel.com.