Solutions that Permit Safer Flight in Degraded Visual Environments (DVE)

Recent combat experience in Operation Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom has once again demonstrated the unforgiving nature of the desert environment. The total loss of aircraft, and near losses resulting in major damage, from a unique helicopter condition called “brownout” is disproportional to actual combat losses. Fully operational aircraft are routinely destroyed due to the loss of visual reference resulting from brownouts. This phenomenon is not new to rotary wing aviation but has now become a focal point of aviation commands as a problem to be solved. This paper puts forth several potential solutions that challenge our industry to provide a comprehensive answer to an urgent problem. The paper will address steps we can take now and in the future to improve a pilot’s situational awareness and reduce the risk encountered during brownout events. Near term solutions represent more easily retrofitable elements that do not require a large amount of aircraft integration. These include sensor and display updates and modernized control laws. In the longer term advantage can be taken of the greater control authority afforded by Fly-By-Wire systems and further improvements in sensor technology.