Bell Helicopter's next-gen tiltrotor aircraft V-280 Valor completes first flight with Lockheed Martin's 360-degree imagery system

Lockheed Martin's Pilotage Distributed Aperture Sensor (PDAS) system took flight for the first time aboard the V-280 Valor, Bell Helicopter's next-generation tiltrotor aircraft in a series of flights over Fort Worth, Texas, in March. PDAS is a multi-functional sensor system that generates high-resolution, 360-degree imagery around the aircraft to enhance situational awareness for pilots and other users.The PDAS system captured complete spherical infrared imagery while operating in a high-speed, tactically relevant flight environment and generated real-time imagery.Conducting PDAS flight tests on the V-280 is an exciting first step toward delivering a level of situational awareness unavailable on today's Army rotorcraft," said Rita Flaherty, strategy & business development vice president at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. "With its embedded, multi-functional sensors, PDAS is the ideal foundation for an integrated survivability suite that will enable Army aircrews to own any environment and universally detect and defeat incoming threats.