Helicopter Obstacle Detection System

A 1550nm fiber laser based Helicopter Obstacle Detection System was designed and built to increase flight safety of air platforms:

Detection of an aerial power transmission line of 1cm thickness from 1,5 km at a rate of 100,000 times per second was accomplished using direct detection in addition to the trials of coherent detection schemes. Doppler velocity measurements at cm/second resolution from 1 km were demonstrated using FMCW Lidar techniques.

Using the system which was verified to the military specs, satisfactory trials of aerial transmission line detection were carried out under low visibility, snow, rain and fog conditions.