The Maritime Helicopter Aid (MHA) aims to Maximise Operational Capability, Improves Safety and provide a Unique Usage Monitoring Capability
Navy ships need to have the flexibility to manoeuvre to avoid threats and provide expansive operating envelopes for helicopter operations in order to maximise operational effectiveness. Safe operating limits are required to enable the flight crew and deck crew to perform particular on-deck operations. These include landing and takeoff, traversing the helicopter from the hangar to the flight deck, or use of a particular lashing scheme or restraint system to secure the helicopter. Traditionally on-deck limits have been based on simulation for a wide range of sea state conditions and have been typically conservatively defined using pitch and roll to account for worst case likely wave encounter frequencies, ship manoeuvring and list.
The AVT Maritime Helicopter Aid couples the Australian Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) OnDeck helicopter-ship dynamic simulation code with an inertial motion unit (IMU) and wind anememeter to provide a real time estimate of the helicopter response to actual ship motion. By using real-time ship motion data the system provides an optimal solution for maximising the operational envelope of both the helicopter and ship. It also improves flight crew and deck crew safety as well as provide a means of helicopter usage monitoring .
The system should also provide a useful basis for UAV recovery and launching phases. By accurately simulating in real time the potential for roll over and sliding the system can provide an indication of whether it is safe to land or takeoff. It can therefore help provide (depending on the regularity of the sea state) an improved indication of quiescent periods during which it is safe to land.
The MHA AID Offers:
- Maximised Helicopter Operational Capability
- Accurately simulates helicopter limit proximity using actual ship motion in real time .
- Maximised Ship Operational Capability
- Greater flexibility to maneuver the ship due to an expanded helicopter envelope
- Directional guidance to maximise operational envelope
- Ability to provide limit proximity information during ship manoeuvres
- Improved Observer Situational Awareness
- Time history logged data / user interface
- Improved Flight Crew Safety
- Pilots have a more accurate indication of when it is safe to conduct operations
- Improved Deck Crew Safety
- System provides a more accurate indication of when to apply lashings and restraint systems
- Improved Health and Usage Monitoring (HUMS)
- Peak loads can be monitored for airworthiness inspection
- Long term cyclic loads can be logged for fatigue assessment for particular helicopters
- Potential UAV Maritime Guidance
- System provides the optimal means for maximising the on-deck envelope available
The Advantages of the MHA:
- Does not rely on roll and pitch. All 6 degrees of ship motion are used. Roll and Pitch do not always correlate well with the likelihood of a limit occurring.
- Uses an accurate non-linear helicopter model to accurately predict helicopter response and limit proximity.
- A full dynamic model is employed which means that airframe usage monitoring can be performed. This is a unique capability.
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