Development and flight test of an avionics LIDAR for helicopter and UAV low-level flight

In recent years, laser radar (LIDAR) has become a promising technology for navigation and obstacle avoidance in helicopters and UAV, mainly because of its good wire detection performance on a wide range of incidence angles, and also due to its outstanding range and accuracy. In this paper we describe the activities carried out for the design, integration and test of the Laser Obstacle Avoidance System 'Marconi' (LOAM) on helicopter and UAV platforms. After a brief description of the system architecture and sensor characteristics, emphasis is given to the performance models and processing algorithms required for obstacle detection/classification and calculation of alternative flight paths, as well as to the ground and flight test activities performed on various platforms.