EADS and DRS Technologies will collaborate on marketing the EADS Hellas laser-based obstacle warning system in the United States. The system protects helicopters against difficult-to-detect obstacles, such as power lines. The agreement establishes an industrial framework for a future Hellas production facility in the United States, as well as joint sales and marketing initiatives related to U.S. applications for the system.

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Hellas is an early-warning, laser radar-based device designed to detect obstacles in the flight path of a helicopter, such as power lines and poles, which are difficult to detect visually during flight. The system probes its surroundings with an eye-safe laser beam and can recognize even thin wires at significant distances with high precision. Hellas also is effective at detecting obstacles, such as trees and wind turbines. The Hellas system provides obstacle warning information optically and acoustically, enabling pilots to make avoidance maneuvers well before reaching the area of risk.

The agreement covers the EADS Defense Electronics Hellas-W (Warning) obstacle warning system, already is in operation on Federal German Police helicopters and the new Hellas-A (Awareness) obstacle warning system, which is under development for the German Forces NH90 helicopters. The latter has been identified for potential use with U.S. military forces, following a U.S. foreign comparative test evaluation of a Hellas-W system in 2002-2003.