Beating brownout

A look at a new airborne landing aid that provides safe-flight capabilities for front-line helicopter crews in degraded visual environments.

The safe operation of helicopters has become one of the most important aspects of modern expeditionary warfare, and yet it remains a dangerous task, especially when flying at night and in desert conditions.

Three out of four helicopter accidents in the operational theater result from pilots flying into “brownout” conditions, where sand and fine dust block out the visual references to their immediate surroundings, and this can result in a heavy landing, a collision with poles, aerials, vehicles or buildings, sometimes with catastrophic results.