Pathfinder

Pathfinder is the dedicated pilotage sensor system developed by Lockheed Martin for application on cargo and utility aircraft. It is an adaptation of the Modernized Pilot Night Vision Sensor (M-PNVS) currently fielded on the AH-64D Apache attack helicopter.

Pathfinder provides cargo and utility aircraft aircrews with significantly increased situational awareness while reducing workloads during day/night operations in diminished visibility flight environments.

Pathfinder is a second generation, high definition, long-wave infrared (LWIR) sensor with a 52-degree wide field-of-view. The high-resolution IR imagery is projected onto the visor of the pilot’s helmet while the turreted sensor assembly is slewed to the helmet coincident with the pilot’s head movements. Critical flight symbology is displayed on the helmet visor so that the pilot can maintain a head-up, eyes-out posture when operating in demanding low visibility conditions. This approach maximizes the pilot’s unobstructed visibility (invisible cockpit), facilitates earlier detection and avoidance of obstacles at lower altitudes and higher airspeeds; and provides an enhanced ability to identify and react to threats.

Pathfinder increases pilot confidence, reduces pilot workload, and provides safe-flight capabilities in diminished flight visibility conditions such as brownouts, whiteouts, darkness and adverse weather. Pathfinder is currently the only IR sensor system designed and developed specifically to support terrain flight (low level, contour, and nap-of-the-earth) and terminal operations (PZ/LZ) in unimproved landing areas during reduced visibility conditions.

 
Pathfinder is a trademark of Lockheed Martin Corporation.

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