Helicopter Laser Radar for Obstacle Avoidance

This paper gives an overview of the Helicopter Laser Radar (HLR) System developed at Fibertek, Inc. under the direction of the U.S. Army CERDEC Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate, Air Systems Division, as part of the Army helicopter Obstacle Avoidance System (OASYS) program. The HLR system is a laser radar using a diode-pumped solid-state laser operating at 1.54 μm. A diode-pumped system offers small size, robust range performance, small output aperture, and a short pulse length for high range resolution. The output wavelength was chosen for extended eyesafety limits and covertness.