New Night-Eyes for Old Marine Choppers

[thedrifter]

New Night-Eyes for Old Marine Choppers
By David Axe August 13, 2008

It's a pitch black night on Saturday, pilots take turns flying one CH-53E helicopter for touch-and-go landings on the deck of the amphibious assault ship Kearsarge. Meanwhile, several squadron members -- including Corporal Justin Bauer, an avionics specialist, and Captain Jeff Hullinger, a flier -- keep watch in the cockpit of a parked CH-53E. Outside, you can't see your hand in front of your face. But inside the two choppers -– one flying, one parked -– the world is crystal-clear in crisp blacks and greens, courtesy of new Forward-Looking Infrared turrets and the latest night-vision goggles (pictured).

The turret –- a black ball hanging under the CH-53E’s nose -– feeds an IR image to two flat-screen displays in the cockpit, one each for the pilot and co-pilot. The image is better than TV quality. Paired with new night vision goggles that are sensitive enough to work on starlight but smart enough to “dial down” many sudden light blooms, the IR system makes night flying possible in all but the hairiest conditions.

On the other hand, the system is a pain to maintain, Bauer says. He surveys the CH-53E’s cockpit equipment: the new IR gear; the GPS, a vintage model from 1993; the analogue dials, from the 1980s; and one ancient warning light panel lit by tiny, fragile incandescent bulbs that require constant changing. These choppers are more than 20 years old on average -- bordering on ancient, for a helicopter. But improvised engineering keeps the '53s flying, and the cockpits up-to-date. All this tech –- both cutting edge and nearly obsolete –- is kluged together by a nightmare of wires and harnesses. In sum, it’s one of the best chopper cockpits around, but it’s hardly graceful.

All that could change in the next couple years, however, if the old CH-53Es get a promised “glass cockpit” upgrade. It will replace all the mixed-and-matched systems with newer and better-integrated ones feeding five big displays. And then, just a few years after that, the Marines should begin replacing the long-serving E-model birds with bigger, faster K models, which will be even more advanced.

There’s a downside, Hullinger says. All these high-tech systems can actually be a “crutch.” He points at the fleeting green-and-black image, seen on the CH-53’s displays, of a Navy MH-60S search-and-rescue chopper flying cover over the Marines. The Navy aviators aren’t using any IR systems at all, just their eyeballs… and sheer skill.

Ellie