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| Curtiss-Wright Debuts New Rugged and Reliable 14.1” LCD Video Display for Airborne Surveillance |
HELITECH INTERNATIONAL 2013, LONDON, UK – September 24, 2013 – Curtiss-Wright Controls Defense Solutions, a business group of Curtiss-Wright Controls, has introduced the newest member of its Skyquest™ family of rugged touchscreen mission displays. The new Skyquest AVDU3600 is a 14.1” LCD display that provides high definition (HD) 1440×900 resolution and features sophisticated control and video handling capabilities designed specifically for the unique demands of airborne defense and law enforcement applications. The new optically bonded display delivers new levels of reliability, flexibility and quality including superior optical performance and enhanced sunlight readability to airborne platforms. When integrated with the Skyquest™ Video Management System (VMS), the touchscreen-enabled AVDU3600 combines sophisticated control and video handling capabilities, including built-in support for multiple video inputs controlled by hard buttons on the bezel and configurable soft buttons overlaid on the display, without requiring costly hardware variants.
Ideal for Airborne Video Surveillance
As the latest member of Curtiss-Wright’s new generation of high-resolution rugged mission displays, the AVDU3600 is designed to maximize mission effectiveness by enabling operators to select one or more video streams for simultaneous display from multiple input sensors. It is designed to increase mission effectiveness on airborne platforms such as rotorcraft and light fixed-wing aircraft, as well as other platforms that must provide rugged HD touchscreen video display functionality in harsh environments, such as fast patrol boats. The display is easily configured to an application’s specific needs with simple software configuration to define mission-specific on-screen controls. Featuring more video options and improved reliability over earlier designs, this next generation display also supports environmental sealing to IP65 and beyond.
“With the release of our new 14.1” Skyquest AVDU3600 display, Curtiss-Wright continues to extend and strengthen our commitment to providing the helicopter industry’s best range of easy to use-and-view rugged video displays for their critical airborne surveillance missions,” said Lynn Bamford, senior vice president and general manager of Curtiss-Wright Controls Defense Solutions. “No other rugged display on the market today delivers the combination of video inputs, optical quality, touchscreen flexibility, and ruggedness provided by the AVDU3600. Further enhancing its utility, the AVDU3600 is designed for integration into the Skyquest VMS, the industry’s leading airborne surveillance video management system, currently in service on law enforcement and military platforms around the globe.”
Ideal for Use with Skyquest™ Video Management System (VMS)
This display can operate in a standalone configuration, but reaches its full potential when integrated with a video distribution unit as a part of the Skyquest VMS, to provide complete control over all video signals on the airborne platform. The Skyquest VMS is a fully featured video management system currently serving airborne critical missions on law enforcement and military platforms around the globe.
Easily connected directly to the market’s leading electro-optical turrets, or via one of Curtiss-Wright’s sophisticated video distribution units, the AVDU3600 is ready to deliver control of multiple video inputs with unmatched user control. To optimize the user experience, the display features hard bezel keys for core controls such as power and brightness. The bezel buttons are supplemented with a flexible and configurable touchscreen interface that can be user-customized for functions such as video recorder control without requiring costly hardware variants. For surveillance and navigation applications the AVDU3600 supports optional glove operable touchscreen control of functions such as digital moving maps. The display’s “quad screen” feature enables airborne or ground vehicle crew members to view up to four (4) live or recorded video images simultaneously.
The AVDU3600 and VRD-1
With its built-in network connectivity the display’s touchscreen can also be used to provide the interface for controlling a Curtiss-Wright VRD1, the industry’s leading off-the-shelf solution for high-video-count requirements with video conversion, switching, recording and network streaming. The VRD1 video management system is a fully HD-capable turnkey solution for video format conversion, scaling and switching. These functions are complemented by video compression, recording and network distribution. As the hub of a video system, the VRD1 system is controlled over Ethernet from either a supplied API or a browser-based GUI.
I/O support provided by the VRD1 includes, as standard, 18 video input channels (six each of 3G-SDI, RGB/DVI, CVBS) and 12 video outputs (6 each of 3G-SDI, RGB/DVI). Any input can be routed to any number of available outputs as a result of high quality format conversion and the VRD1’s video switch. The number and type of video inputs and outputs and the number of compression channels can be altered in customer-specific versions permitting the VRD1 video system to be optimized for a very wide variety of applications.
Advanced Mission Display Features
The Skyquest AVDU3600 is fitted with a full complement of the features most desired by airborne crews, including a resistive touchscreen and a built-in heater for operation in cold climates as standard. Two or four video feeds can be displayed simultaneously using the display’s picture-in-picture and quad-screen capability. The display supports multiple video inputs including HD-SDI and a day/night discrete switch for lighting mode changes.
For operation in low-light conditions, Night Vision Goggle (NVG) filtering, conforming to MIL-STD-3009 NVIS B, is supported as a standard feature. The display is fitted with a dual LED light source using white LEDs for full color daylight operations to deliver very high brightness for sunlight readability, and NVG filtered LED light at low levels for NVG operations. The AVDU3600’s bezel LEDs and key backlighting are NVG filtered.
Skyquest AVDU3600 Performance Features
• 14.1” diagonal LCD, 1440×900 (16:10 aspect ratio)
• Multiple analog (S-video, CVBS and VGA) and digital (HD-SDI) video inputs
• Built-in quad and picture-in-picture capabilities display multiple inputs simultaneously
• Durable resistive (glove-operable) touchscreen display
• Software-configurable soft-buttons on screen and assignable hard buttons on bezel
• Usable in bright sunshine through optical bonded construction and efficient backlighting
• Usable at night with lighting bus integration and an NVG-compliant mode through the use of a second set of backlight LEDs
The AVDU3600 is the latest member of our industry-leading family of rugged Skyquest displays, including the released 17” AVDU4300, and other models ranging in size from 7”, 9”, 4” and 21.5”. It can be easily combined with our full range of Skyquest products, including additional AVDUs for multi-display configurations, VDSU switches, PANL controllers, and VRDV recorders.
Sales & Editorial Contacts
For editorial information regarding Curtiss-Wright Controls Defense Solutions products or services, contact John Wranovics, public relations director, Curtiss-Wright Controls, Tel: (925) 640-6402; email. [email protected].
Sales inquiries: Please forward all Sales and reader service inquiries to Jerri-Lynne Charbonneau, Curtiss-Wright Controls Defense Solutions, Tel: (613) 254-5112; Fax: (613) 599-7777; e-mail: [email protected].
About Curtiss-Wright Controls Defense Solutions
Curtiss-Wright Controls Defense Solutions is a long established technology leader in the development of rugged electronic modules and systems for defense applications. Curtiss-Wright serves as a technology and integration partner to its customers, providing a full range of advanced, highly engineered solutions from modular open systems approaches to fully custom optimized solutions. Our unmatched capabilities and product breadth span from industry standard based COTS modules to complete electronic subsystems. The company’s modules and systems are currently deployed in a wide range of demanding defense & aerospace applications including C4ISR systems, unmanned subsystems, mission computing, fire control, turret stabilization, and recording & storage solutions. Additionally, the company’s broad engineering capabilities combine systems, software, electrical, and mechanical design expertise with comprehensive program management and a broad range of life-cycle support services. For more information visit www.curtisswrightds.com.
About Curtiss-Wright Controls, Inc.
Headquartered in Charlotte, NC, Curtiss-Wright Controls is the Controls segment of Curtiss-Wright Corporation and a leading designer and manufacturer of advanced technologies for niche actuation and drive applications, integrated sensors and controls, and electronic subsystems internationally for the aerospace, defense and industrial markets. For more information, visit www.cwcontrols.com.