Recognition/anti-collision lights are used on aircraft to produce bright flashes of light readily visible to the human eye for improving recognition of the aircraft from the ground or from other aircraft. The FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) currently mandates that aircraft have such lights with an acceptable minimum effective light intensity of 100 or 400 candela (depending on the aircraft) when viewed within five degrees of a horizontal plane.
Many prior art recognition/anti-collision lights include a flashtube, or strobe light, that initially produces a light intensity that meets government guidelines. However, the light intensity of the flashtube gradually degrades with use over time and eventually falls below the minimum intensity requirements, thereby requiring servicing and/or replacement of the flashtube. The mean time between failure (MTBF) of a typical flashtube is about 1500-3000 hours.
Anti-collision lights are therefore periodically tested, in some instances with elaborate equipment, to ensure that they meet the FAA requirements. A common practice has been to replace the lights on a scheduled basis to ensure proper illumination requirements are met even though many of the lights still satisfy illumination requirements.
In order to reduce the frequency at which a recognition/anti-collision light requires replacement, it would be desirable to have an anti-collision light with an improved (increased) mean time between failure (MTBF).