Prototype Could Enable Next-Gen Helo Capabilities.

• Position: News Briefs

A new high-powered flight control computer from Collins Aerospace could facilitate emerging technologies for next-generation helicopters.

The Perigon prototype, which is expected to enter qualification testing in 2022, can help reduce pilot workload and enhance situational awareness in degraded environments, said Kim Kinsley, vice president and general manager of environmental and airframe control systems for Collins Aerospace.

The new system has 20 times more computing power than the current line of the company's machines, a capability enabled by the increased use of multicore processors, she said. The open design of the hardware can host complex software programs including applications for autonomy, fly-by-wire flight controls or weapons management.

"As the aircraft become more complex, the capabilities become more and more complex," she said in an interview.

She noted that the Army's future vertical lift program--a new family of rotorcraft and one of the service's top modernization priorities--plans to incorporate open architecture technology that reduces pilot workload and helps soldiers operate in degraded environments.

Darryl Woods, director and general manager of flight controls for Collins Aerospace, said the computer's ability to support software with capabilities such as assured position, navigation and timing is attractive to government customers who want to free up pilots' time.

"The pilots will be in the aircraft, but they can focus on their mission versus worrying...