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Battlelab develops C-5 aircrew night vision system

  • Published
FORT DIX, N.J. --   Before the Air Mobility Battlelab innovators here came up with a solution, C-5 Galaxy aircrews would tape over certain white lights in the cockpit to prepare for missions conducted in a blacked out environment that required night vision goggles; or they would use flashlights at required times in flight or even pull circuit breakers and light bulbs for other light systems in order to minimize visual wash out effects. Obviously, incompatible or improperly masked light sources can be hazardous to operations requiring night vision goggles during critical phases of flight.

This week, officials at Air Mobility Command Headquarters at Scott Air Force Base, Ill., granted approval for the C-5 ANViL, or Aviator Night Vision Lighting System, to be used as a portable clip-on NVG compatible lighting system designed to improve existing lighting conditions and techniques for C-5 NVG missions. The ANViL kit, supplied by REB Technologies, Inc., of Bedford, Texas, consists of two parts: one for the flight deck and one for the cargo compartment.

Among the many tests over the course of 15 months, operational testing on the ANViL was conducted after the 339th Flight Test Squadron at Warner Robins Air Logistics Center, Ga., certified the system for flight.

Maj. Joe Davisson, a former C-5 Special Operations Low-Level pilot who says he spent a lot of time taping up the flight deck, was impressed with the improved lighting the ANViL system provided when he served as the C-5 test director for the new system.

Our test effort consisted of evaluating the two parts of the system separately, said Major Davisson, from AMCs Test and Evaluation Squadron at McGuire AFB, N.J.

For the flight deck portion, we flew several NVG local sorties at Dover (Air Force Base, Del.) For the cargo portion, we had different load teams upload various pieces of cargo under NVGs, he said. Both groups then filled out questionnaires at the end of their respective mission or upload.

I saw a definite decrease in the jump seat pilots workload, said the major, and almost all comments from the left and right seat pilots were positive. We made recommendations for a few system enhancements in our final report, but overall the ANViL is a vast improvement over previous lighting methods.

Maj. Chris Nuzzo was the pilot and 436th Operations Group commanders NVG representative from Dover AFB, who conducted ground and flight demonstrations to assess radiance luminance, day and night readability, visual acuity, electromagnetic compatibility, and performing a NVG landing. The demonstrations resulted in the ANViL system getting certified for flight and crews were able to land in a blackout environment.

The ANViL is a big improvement over current taping and lighting that we use now in the C-5 cockpit, said Major Nuzzo.

He also said there are three main benefits of the system.

First, the pilot and copilot main flight instruments are well-lit with the ANVIL, eliminating the need for chem-sticks to light primary flight displays. Secondly, the ANVIL provides additional NVG-compatible lighting for other displays like landing gear, engine instruments, hydraulic indicators, etc. Thirdly, the ANVIL provides a shield for most of the pilot annunciator and warning lights that are not currently NVG compatible. The cargo compartment portion is an improvement because we had no NVG-compatible lighting down there in the past.

Currently Dover AFB has five kits, and with the recent AMC approval, they are cleared to fly with the kits as needed. Each kit costs approximately $60,000 per aircraft, which includes an NVG compatible system to assist with the aircrafts cargo compartment floor lighting.

The Air Mobility Battlelab explores high-payoff concepts, technologies, and tactics to advance the Air Force's distinctive capabilities of rapid global mobility and agile combat support. They promote new technologies and procedures for airlift and tanker operations, aeromedical evacuation, information technology, and air mobility support. Their primary focus is to provide information on products and tactics, and develop new concepts of operation fieldable in approximately 18 months. The Air Mobility Battlelab is the newest of the seven USAF battlelabs and was established Jan. 1, 2001, in response to AMC's need to make innovation practical for rapid global mobility.



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