Fort Worth, Texas-based AvPanels, specialising in the creation of advanced avionics solutions for Part 27 rotorcraft, has been appointed as a preferred reseller of the Terrain series line of radar altimeters by FreeFlight Systems. The altimeters are best known for their tolerance to spurious 5G C-Band network interference.

Operators with Robinson R44, Bell 206/407, Airbus AS350, and MD 500/530 airframes can now order the Terrain series RA-5500 for new single installations, the RA-6500 for new dual installations or the RA-4500 Mark II as a simple drop-in replacement for existing RA-4000 or RA-4500 implementations. The STCs will be amended to include additional rotorcraft models as demand increases with the first few models slated for completion by 15 May, 2023.

“We are proud to offer industry-leading radar altimeters to the rotorcraft community,” says AvPanels president Bill Young. “The Terrain series line of radar altimeters offers operators an elegant AMOC solution to the recent rollout of 5G telecommunications networks, ensuring reliable crew and passenger safety.”

The radar altimeters are up to 60 per cent smaller than existing legacy devices on the market, and feature digital signal processing (DSP) technology and the first major upgrade to RF circuity in decades. Customers are encouraged to place orders in advance through AvPanels for timely delivery.

“We are seeing increased demand for 5G-tolerant radar altimeter solutions across rotorcraft, business aviation and advanced air mobility markets,” says FreeFlight Systems VP of sales and marketing Shane LaPlante. “We understand the criticality of safe continued operations in the face of Airworthiness Directives (ADs) and are excited to extend these solutions to law enforcement, air medical, search and rescue, and other operators that navigate dense urban centres.”