Oct. 17 (UPI) -- A multi-modal sensor fusion test bed for rotary aircraft is to be developed by Lockheed Martin for the U.S. Army under a contract worth $12 million, the company announced this week.
The sensor fusion and integrated technologies for the Army's Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate are to improve helicopter survivability by enabling pilots to navigate safely in all environments.
Lockheed said the MMSF algorithms blend data from multiple sensor types to restore situational awareness in degraded visual environments, or DVE.
"Current Lockheed Martin fire control systems enable pilots to own the night," Paul Lemmo, vice president of Fire Control/SOF CLSS at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, said in a press release. "Our next-generation MMSF technology will help them own the environment as well. Our work with NVESD and other DVE stakeholders will enable helicopter aircrews to operate more safely and effectively in even the most challenging visual environments."
Lockheed plans to integrate government-furnished sensors in a reconfigurable, open-architecture testbed for the development of DVE systems. It will also refine multi-modal fusion techniques and real-time 3-D mapping. Symbols and cues for pilot sensor displays will also be developed.
