A European HEMS operator has selected Universal Avionics to equip a fleet of Leonardo AW169 helicopters with the ClearVision Enhanced Flight Vision System suite for helicopters. The integration of the ClearVision system in the AW169 is designed and certified by Leonardo with installation completed in its factory.

HEMS operators conduct emergency medical services/search and rescue (EMS/SAR) missions where the ability to operate in degraded visibility environments is often necessary. As a Level A certified solution, ClearVision EFVS for helicopters provides the visibility and situational awareness needed to overcome these adverse weather conditions, critical to executing lifesaving missions.

“Leveraging our world-leading solutions of EFVS on fixed wing platforms to the helicopter market will enable flight in limited visibility conditions, increasing the total number of rescue missions that can be safely executed and potentially, saving even more lives,” says UA CEO Dror Yahav. “We are proud to be part of a new era of technology and mission capability with our ClearVision suite installed on the Leonardo AW169.”

The EFVS suite includes a high-resolution multispectral camera for Enhanced Vision System (EVS), a custom designed Synthetic Vision System (SVS), and SkyVis Helmet-Mounted Display (HMD) which supports Night Vision Goggle (NVG) configuration. ClearVision for helicopters' design is based on UA's EFVS for commercial fixed wing aircraft, leveraging the technology and experience of more than 3,500 fielded systems. ClearVision features state-of-the-art HMD optical design, a certified Line of Sight (LOS) tracking system and SVS specifically designed for helicopter low altitude flight requirements. The multispectral EVS camera supports operations in all weather conditions and identification of lights such as those of oil rigs, helipads, obstacles and runways.