The Eurostars research program has approved funding for the cooperative efforts of Elbit and Nicarnica on development of an airborne volcanic ash-detection system. It consists of Elbit’s ClearVision infrared enhanced vision system (EVS) and Nicarnica’s airborne volcanic object imaging detector (Avoid).
According to Elbit, “The know-how developed during the project is intended to provide the partners with a strong position to expand the product line.” The Avoid system uses two fast-sampling infrared cameras “tuned to detect hazardous volcanic ash particles in the airspace up to 100 km ahead of the aircraft day or night,” Nicarnica said. “At normal flight cruising altitudes and speeds this will give a pilot a seven- to 10-minute warning of a potential dangerous encounter with an ash cloud.”
The Avoid software converts the infrared image signal into ash concentrations and displays concentration levels of less than one cubic milligram to more than 50. This information can be coupled with GPS and airspeed data, the company explained, to display real-time “ash dosages” and relayed to ATC and other aircraft. Nicarnica flight tested the Avoid technology in 2013 with an A340 flying behind an Airbus A400M that dispersed a metric ton of Icelandic ash over the Bay of Biscay.