NVIS air
Oxley is a leader in every aspect of Night Vision Lighting for airborne platforms.
We provide NVIS/NVG compatible lighting upgrades for aircraft/helicopter cockpits.
We supply Dual Mode (Visible NVG Friendly and IR covert) external lighting.
We have extensive experience of satisfying the requirements of numerous customers world-wide, and have many successfully completed and ongoing programs which demonstrate our excellent performance in this field.
Our customers are military services, aircraft manufacturers, avionic equipment suppliers and panel manufacturers. We operate globally across the entire night vision lighting market. |
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Cockpit NVL (Night Vision Lighting)
Night Vision is a major enhancement of operational capability and is now regarded as essential for all military aircraft.
Oxley specializes in the upgrade of cockpits of manned aircraft for Night Vision operations. We assess all light sources within the cockpit and provide a complete solution. Our core capability is in the design and manufacture of optical filters. Cockpit lighting experience produces a result with appropriate balance of illumination level and color.
Oxley is available to address any problem that might arise on any aircraft, with regard to NVL. We work with operators and avionic equipment manufacturers to achieve an NVG Compatible solution.
External NVL (Night Vision Lighting)
A world-leading night vision lighting specialist, Oxley is at the forefront in the design and supply of external night vision lighting systems.
Multi-ship night vision operations demand specifically configured external aircraft lighting systems - covert IR formation lights for hostile theatres and Oxley NVG Friendlyª visible navigation lights for training missions in civil airspace.
NVG Friendly Navigation Lights
One of the most significant hazards identified in the ever increasing peacetime and training deployment of Night Vision Goggles and NVG compatible cockpits is the use of standard visible external aircraft lights. In particular, if the visible lighting, required by regulatory bodies such as the FAA and JAA for aircraft identification, is unmodified, the reduction in goggle gain and the associated goggle blooming created by the lights can lead to a loss of spatial awareness when operating in close formation. Some operators may previously have switched off all external lights when flying multi-ship NVG training missions; clearly a safety hazard for other military and civil aircraft.
The solution is to make the navigation lights NVG Friendly. Oxley offers solutions based on two technologies as follows:
Optical Filters
The technology applied to early and current upgrades is high temperature resistant optically coated glass filters. br /> Near IR output is considerably reduced, reducing the NVG blooming effect of the unmodified light and having minimal effect on the visible light output. This ensures full FAA/JAA compliance in colour, luminous intensity and emission pattern. In particular, the original color of the light is retained. F-16, F-18, Jaguar, Bell 212 and many other aircraft types have Oxley NVG Friendly optical filters in service.
LED Lighting
The latest technology for this application is Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs). Recent LED developments have overcome previous limitations in brightness and operating temperature. Oxley EZELED light units are fully compliant with the FAR/JAR legal requirements. They have controlled near IR light emission, to minimise bloom and flare when viewed through NVGs. The increase in reliability over filament bulbs is significant - 1000 times.
Covert IR Formation Lights
Oxley has pioneered the design and supply of covert IR formation lights. Oxley components are in service on many aircraft types world-wide, including helicopters, transport aircraft and fast jets. The lights are based on Near Infra-Red diodes, which provide light which is only visible to operators equipped with Night Vision Goggles (NVG). They are invisible to the naked eye - hence Covert.
The IR diode assemblies are small and are designed to mount directly onto the fuselage or appropriate panel. Mounting pods are available for certain aircraft, such as Puma, Super Puma and EH-101. Each diode projects a cone of IR energy. For operational reasons, the IR energy generally projects in an upward and rearward direction rather than downwards or forwards, and is designed not to illuminate the aircraft panels. Bright or Dim emission levels are switch selectable in the cockpit to provide tactical and close formation modes.
Oxley offers a control unit to provide the options of Flash and Steady selection. Flashing the entire covert formation light suite in synchronism is proven to be better than having a point source "covert strobe". Aircraft aspect and maneuver is much clearer due to the 3 dimensional pattern.
Dual-mode External Lights
The covert IR and NVG Friendly capability can be installed on the aircraft in one dual mode package. F-16 and Jaguar are examples of dual mode covert IR and NVG Friendly optical filter modification in one aircraft package. Dual mode, Covert and NVG Friendly EZELED visible lighting, is also readily available. Examples of the LED approach are Tornado, EA-6B and F-18. The combined EZELED LED and IR diode product is extremely reliable and easy to install; minimal aircraft wiring changes are required.
The position lights (below) show an integrated covert IR formation light.
Anti-collision Lighting
Employing the latest LED technology, the Rotox anticollision light is a high intensity red LED light. It is fully compliant with civil aviation requirements, including radiation patters, colour and brightness.
A major technology advance, this product incorporates LEDs with an innovative electronics design to achieve many advantages for operators; particularly weight, reliability, EMC and simplicity of installation. The single unit design does not require any additional power converter; it operates directly from the aircraft 28 volt supply.
 
Cockpit Control Unit
The Oxley capability includes supply of specifically designed cockpit control units to meet the particular requirements of each aircraft operator. Flash pattern, brightness and mode can all be cockpit-selected by the aircrew.
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