NASA Selects Aviation Instrument Technologies Inc to provide lightning strike detection equipment kit for the Global Hawk
Zephyrhills, Florida July 5- Aviation Instrument Technologies Inc was award a contract by the NASA Global Hawk Project, Dryden Flight Research Center to provide lightning strike detection equipment kits to be installed in one of the 4 NASA Global Hawks.
Embedded Software Engineer Bob Gardiner |
The kits contain equipment for installation in both the Aircraft and the Global Hawk ground station. Equipment installed in the air vehicle detects lightning strikes and encodes that data for transmission to the ground station. Equipment installed in the ground station decodes the information and presents lightning strikes on a color moving map display for the Global Hawk pilots. For the first time, Global Hawk pilots will have this vital information to avoid dangerous convective activity and thunder storms.
The Global Hawk is the biggest and most sophisticated UAV in the world. It has a range of over 11,000 NM, endurance of 30 hours and operating altitudes as high as 60,000 feet. Lightning strike information is critical for some of NASA upcoming planned science missions over hurricanes this season. Storm cells in these Atlantic and Gulf hurricanes can build above 60,000 feet in severe conditions. Flying at 60,000 feet the Global Hawk is in a critical flight regime and must avoid turbulence associated with convective activity and lightning strikes. In these extreme conditions Aviation Instrument Technologies Inc. kits give NASA the edge in mission success and aircraft survival.
Aviation Instrument Technologies Inc. is a world leader in the design, development and production of custom instruments, control panels and displays for military, commercial and industrial applications. For further information please contact David Teichman at 813-783-3361. The company is located on the municipal airport in Zephyrhills, FL. read www.aircraftinstruments.com
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AITI is a world leader in the design, development and production of instruments, control panels and displays for military, commercial and industrial applications. We can build from as much as your detailed performance specification or to as little as napkin sketches.
We have done it all.
Call 813.783.3361 ext 231
Dave Teichman
dave@aircraftinstruments.com |
