Page 30 - ADT JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2021 Online Magazine

mission capable and the most reliable solution there is and will the efforts of the South Korean government
meet all the requirements of the Korean government and beyond,” to develop the capabilities of the domestic
Kwon said. “South Korea is one of the largest UH-60 operators defence industry. “We are interested in further
and they are trying to upgrade a part of that for their special ops building our relationship with Korean compa-
missions and search and rescue missions. That is something we nies. Potentially, there could be localization of [ REPORT ]
are best at.” “It hasn’t been approved yet, but we believe that in the parts. We could also help the Korean govern-
near term, the Republic of Korea Air Force will probably consider ment make sustainment a lot easier by working
upgrading the C-130H as they have been in use for some time. So with Korean companies.”
many countries in the region right now are upgrading their C-130s
and Korea could soon follow that trend,” added Kwon. Promoting New Capabilities
Among the new capabilities that the company
The company has worked with many other countries for compre- is promoting in the military aviation market is
hensive cockpit modernization of the UH-60 and C-130. “Korea is the Head-up Guidance System (HGS) with
kind of behind in terms of the upgrades that they need. We believe Enhanced Vision System (EVS) that is designed
we can help the Korean Air Force and the Korean army with avionics to improve situational awareness by providing
upgrades of their fleets as they will be soon in obsolescence or enhanced visibility during nighttime operations
having problems to cope with modern battlefield requirements or or in adverse weather conditions with degraded
even just navigate.” visual situations. HGS for -130J and C-130H
aircraft enables eyes-forward flying, reducing
reaction time of pilots. The technology facil-
itates precise approaches and substantially
improves covert and mission-critical opera-
tions.

Collins is currently in the process of certifying
HGS with EVS with Lockheed Martin, maker
of the C-130 aircraft. “We have run some trials
in the U.S. already,” said Hoare. “This isn’t a
system that we developed for the military. EVS
is used in commercial aviation and is proven.
We are trying to bring it into the military market
as we believe there is a huge demand for such
a system. For a country like Korea with its ter-
rain and operation environment, we believe that
EVS will be very useful. We expect the certifi-
cation process to be completed soon and are
Proven Solution already promoting the system to the Korean
“Our solution is US combat-proven,” added Kwon. Air Force.”
“IT WAS DEVELOPED BASED ON US
REQUIREMENTS THAT ARE QUITE COMPREHENSIVE EVS, which blends short-wave infrared, long-
AND DESIGNED TO MEET DIVERSE BATTLE wave infrared and visible high-resolution
ENVIRONMENTS. FOR A COUNTRY LIKE SOUTH cameras into a tri-band system, will prove
useful as a firefighting tool during night opera-
KOREA THAT IS FACING A LOT OF HOSTILE tions for firefighting aircraft, said Hoare. “One
SITUATIONS, HAVING A REAL BATTLE PROVEN of the problems with firefighting is that they
SOLUTION IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING. AT do not fly at night. In fire situations, with all
THE END OF THE DAY, THE CUSTOMER HAS TO USE the smoke around, it will be impossible for the
naked eye to see through and pinpoint where
IT SOMETIMES WHEN THERE IS A REAL NEED.” the trouble is. EVS uses infrared sources to
provide information about what is happening
Cockpit upgrades would be the ideal solution for South Korea for a on the ground.” The military avionics part of
variety of reasons, said Kwon. “Most of the Korean platforms have the company’s business is growing at a sig-
enough lifetime left that it makes sense to go for the upgrades. It nificant pace, said Hoare. “We are on all the
is cost-effective as well. Buying a new aircraft would be much more major platforms in the U.S., Europe and APAC.
expensive than doing the upgrades. If the upgrade requirement We are able to offer different levels of capa-
is just for addressing the obsolescence issue, the cost would be bilities, a spectrum of solutions, depending
significantly lower than buying a new aircraft on the operational requirements. We are also
developing new projects and investing in new
Kwon stressed that the company is interested in supporting technologies.”

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