Aug 04, 2017: Boeing and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Japan's national aero-space agency will flight-test Long-range Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) technology. This remote-sensing technology could help commercial airplane pilots better detect and avoid weather disturbances to enhance flight safety.
Boeing has been collaborating with JAXA on the integration of LIDAR technology into a commercial airplane platform since 2010. The JAXA LIDAR technology provides the potential to precisely measure winds as much as 17.5 kilometers in front of airplanes and offer pilots with adequate time to take suitable action to avoid wind shear and clear air turbulence, which does not have any visual cues such as clouds.
"Boeing is very pleased with the collaborative relationship we have had with JAXA," said Naveed Hussain, Boeing Research & Technology vice president, Aeromechanics Technology. "We look forward to demonstrating the benefits of LIDAR technology, which offers significant opportunities for aircraft safety and performance."
In 2018, Boeing and FedEx Express will team up to flight-test more than 30 technologies including LIDAR aboard a new FedEx-owned 777 Freighter. FedEx and Boeing are committed to reducing the environmental impact of their products and advancing technology that will improve performance.
"Boeing's ecoDemonstrator flight-test programs accelerate innovation that enhances the safety and efficiency of commercial flight," said Doug Christensen, ecoDemonstrator program manager. "We're eager to continue working with JAXA so that we can both learn more about LIDAR technology."
The flight demonstration of LIDAR technology will include emitting pulses of laser light, which will scatter off of small dust and other particulates. Observing the reflected light in segments from the start, the pulse offers measurement of the wind speed at increments all along the direction of the laser.
"We are very pleased to take part in Boeing's ecoDemonstrator program. The onboard clear-air turbulence detection system to be tested in the program next year was established by JAXA as part of our SafeAvio R&D project on avionics safety technology to prevent turbulence-induced aircraft accidents," said Fumikazu Itoh, director general, JAXA Aeronautical Technology Directorate. "Boeing's ecoDemonstrator program provides us with valuable opportunity to evaluate our system's capability on large commercial aircraft, which will help accelerate practical implementation of our system in a real environment."
Since 2012, the ecoDemonstrator programme has used a series of flying testbeds to develop and test aviation technologies that boost safety and environmental performance. The Boeing ecoDemonstrator programme plays a vital role in the company's environmental strategy by using flight testing to speed up innovative technologies that can reduce emissions and noise, enhance airlines' gate-to-gate efficiency and help meet other environmental goals.