A laser obstacle avoidance and display system

The authors describe an airborne laser system that provides a pilot with a display of obstacles such as power cables ahead of his aircraft. This system, LOCUS (Laser Obstacle and Cable Unmasking System), was flight-tested by the Naval Air Test Center at Patuxent River, where cable detection ranges of over 2 km were measured. It is found that real-time processing of the laser returns can achieve a real-time display of obstacles in the flight path sufficiently early to enable safe evasive action. In addition, real-time processing of the laser returns can provide unmapped obstacle data to enhance a digital terrain system in low-level covert terrain-following mode.<
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