Sandblaster and LVL ‘clear the air’ Extended rotary-wing
operations in Iraq and Afghanistan have brought the problems of
“brown-out” sharply into focus. There have been numerous
accidents as helicopters attempt to land when visibility has
been severely impaired by billowing dust and sand. Recognizing
the problem, both U.S. and UK defense officials have launched
programs to find solutions. In the U.S. the Defense Advanced
Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is running a program called
Sandblaster. The first phase was to conduct a series of trials
to characterize the nature of “brown-out” clouds. A variety of
current U.S. helicopter types were used to create dust clouds,
which were then measured for cloud geometry, particle density
and particle size. Data from these trials allowed cloud
characteristics to be emulated in laboratories for tests of
sensors such as LADAR, infrared and millimeter-wave radar.
Subsequent phases of Sandblaster moved from the laboratory to
the real world. In February this year Honeywell co