May 3, 2022 — Chantilly, VA — AMERICAN SYSTEMS, a leading IT and engineering solutions company, has been working with the U.S. Navy to solve the most complex aircraft problems for decades. Recently, the Navy turned to AMERICAN SYSTEMS again for a solution aiding helicopter pilots during limited visibility landings. Navy and Marine Corps helicopter pilots are often required to operate in austere conditions where a Degraded Visual Environment (DVE) such as a brownout is regularly encountered. DVE landings are particularly challenging for pilots and significantly increase the risk to aircraft and personnel as evidenced by the many mishaps across all branches of the military.
To solve the DVE problem, engineers from the U.S. Navy and AMERICAN SYSTEMS designed a system to augment the legacy flight control system (FCS) on helicopters. The resulting Low-Speed Precision Control (LSPC) is a hardware and software system that provides an ‘approach to hover with position hold’ functionality to reduce workload for approaches into brownout conditions. The LSPC system is a low-cost, low-risk solution to improving safety and enhancing capabilities for legacy fleet helicopters.
The AMERICAN SYSTEMS and Navy team demonstrated the LSPC system in the Naval Air Warfare Center – Aircraft Division’s (NAWCAD’s) Manned Flight Simulator (MFS) facility where Navy and Marine Corps test pilots successfully approached and landed the LSPC-equipped CH-53E helicopter simulator in zero-visibility conditions. The LSPC system significantly reduced pilot workload and increased safety for the DVE landings in the simulated environment.
“We are so proud to be able to partner with our Navy engineers to minimize the dangers faced by helicopter pilots in extreme conditions,” said Peter Smith, President and CEO of AMERICAN SYSTEMS. “We know what’s at stake.”
AMERICAN SYSTEMS is working to apply this technology to other legacy helicopter platforms for the U.S. Navy and Army, including the H-60, H-1, and H-6 aircraft.
About AMERICAN SYSTEMS
Founded in 1975, AMERICAN SYSTEMS is an IT and Engineering solutions provider and one of the top 100 employee-owned companies in the United States, with approximately 1,600 employees nationwide. Based in the Washington, D.C., suburb of Chantilly, VA, the company provides Enterprise IT, Acquisition and Lifecycle Support, Engineering and Analysis, Test & Evaluation, and Training Solutions to DOD, Intel, and civilian government customers. For more information, visit: www.AmericanSystems.com.
NAVAIR Public Release 2022-278. DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT A. Approved for public release: distribution unlimited.
