To be effective a DIRCM must direct a Laser beam exceeding a certain power level towards the approaching missile.
This power level inevitably leads to a potential laser hazard mainly regarding the eye safety of people potentially hit by
the Laser beam. To evaluate this hazard the IEC 60825-1 is a well established international standard. This leads to the
definition of a laser safety zone around the active DIRCM which can be as large as a few hundred meters. Therefore it
cannot be excluded, that people are present within this zone. This Laser hazard is also a major topic for a civil or military
DIRCM system certification. In this report we analyze the impact of various DIRCM designs on this safety zone as well
as the resulting Laser hazard footprint at takeoff and landing. Also some technical means to make a DIRCM system
inherently eye safe are discussed. As a result we come the conclusion that an eye safe DIRCM is possible, if appropriate
measures are taken throughout the DIRCM system design.
The obstacle warning system for Helicopters HELLAS is presented which is available as off the shelf system. The system generates a 3 D Ladar image based on a 1,5 micrometers Erbium-Fiber Laser. The system is specially designed to detect wires with a high detection probability of >99,5 % within one second. The implications of this requirement on the design are discussed.
The paper reports on current advances in the development of the Dornier Obstacle Warning System (OWS) for helicopters, with particular emphasis on the Obstacle Warning Ladar (OWL). Here both segments, development and application of the 1.5 micrometer imaging laser radar (LADAR) will be represented. It will be shown how advances in the eyesafe LADAR technology resulted in Obstacle Warning Ladar optimized for wire detection leading to a system family platform covering the range from the commercial needs up to the military requirements.
Covert illumination is an important element in providing surveillance, detection, and assessment for security applications. IR illumination is increasingly providing this function; however, conventional filament-based illuminators have limited performance and life. A new variety of light emitting diode (LED) illuminators is described that provides long life at low power. A further advance is to use a planar array of LED's with lenses to optimize the uniformity of scene illumination and maximize the illumination range. Modern CCD cameras have an inherently high IR sensitivity so are well matched to work with this illumination. Further enhancements are to integrate the combination of low-light camera and LED illuminator in a discrete column type package to make the overall illumination and assessment system unobtrusive. Finally, these components can be further combined with automated assessment aids to turn the surveillance device into a true detection sensor that can operate stand-alone without active personnel monitoring. A review of the major IR design considerations is included, along with several examples of systems to illustrate potential applications.
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