26 Août 2009
Thales announced the formation of a strategic partnership with Xsight
Systems Ltd. under which Thales will globally market Xsight’s FODetect® debris
detection systems. FODetect is an advanced sensor and processing system which
detects and characterizes foreign objects found on airport movement surfaces
enabling the proactive removal of debris which poses a threat to aircraft,
operations personnel and passengers. FOD, or Foreign Object Debris, includes aircraft parts, rocks, pavement
pieces, garbage, ash, tools, catering items, luggage wheels and wildlife among
many other objects. FOD are most commonly found at the airplane stand but occur
on taxiways and runways as well.
The system was designed from the start to target the airport FOD market
taking into consideration the key challenges for deploying and operating
systems at busy airports. A recent study estimates that routine damage from FOD results represent US$1.1
Bn in direct cost to airlines operating at the top 300 airports, excluding
associated indirect costs and rare, but expensive, hull loss events.
FODetect provides airports with the most advanced and effective system
available today for continuous detection of runway and taxiway debris. A
centralized data processing system detects debris, generates alerts and
provides tools to investigate detections – ensuring a rapid response to FOD
events. FODetect’s unique distributed architecture leverages existing runway
and taxiway infrastructure for power and communications. Small, rugged
multi-sensor units, based on radar and electro-optic technology, are integrated
with runway edge lights or installed close to the runway edge.
Thales will market FODetect® as a stand-alone system as well as
integrated into its EUROCAT-S A-SMGCS processing and display system. EUROCAT-S
is specifically designed to address the automation part of the A-SMGCS concept
as described by the ICAO A-SMGCS manual. The central objective of the system is
to support the safe, orderly and expeditious movement of aircraft and vehicles
on an airport, under all circumstances, whatever the traffic density,
visibility conditions and complexity of the airport layout. Alerts raised by FODetect can be presented
directly to the controller on the EUROCAT-S
controller working position enabling them to address FOD issues as part of
their real-time decision-making.
Paul Kahn, Vice President and Managing Director of Thales’s Navigation
and Airport Solutions Business Line, stated: “We are delighted to partner
with Xsight and market their advanced FOD detection system. FODetect
complements our existing Airport Solutions portfolio and increases our ability
to help customers improve airport safety and efficiency”.
“The potential financial savings associated with elimination of FOD
damage are enormous,” states Alon Nitzan, CEO of Xsight Systems Ltd. “Our partnership with Thales will enable
to reach airports all around the world and push this innovative new technology
into the marketplace faster.”
FODetect
is currently under evaluation at Boston Logan International Airport. EUROCAT-S is deployed around the world at
more that 15 airports, including many major international airports such as Frankfurt,
New Bangkok International Airport (NBIA), Incheon, Toulouse, Lyon and Munich.
Thales is among the world leaders in Air
Traffic Management systems and civil radars and holds more than 70% share in
navigation aids market. Thales offers an integrated gate-to-gate solution, from
pre-flight to landing, ensuring airport safety, efficient traffic handling
operations, data sharing on aircraft and seamless handover operations between
territories.
Note to Editors:
FOD events occur daily at airports around the world presenting a risk
to passenger safety, disrupting airport services and causing billions of
dollars in direct and indirect costs.
Many FOD incidents, like most runway incursions, do not result in a
serious risk to safety of life or flight.
Unfortunately for aircraft operators, FOD incidents do result in costly
aircraft damage whereas most runway incursions result in no cost. In fact, the referenced study estimates
airline FOD-related direct cost of US$263,000 per 10,000 movements with engine
damage representing nearly 80% of that cost, followed by tire damage at over
20% and the remaining fraction related to aircraft body damage.
About ThalesThales is a global technology leader for the
Aerospace, Space, Defence, Security and Transportation markets. In 2008, the
company generated revenues of 12.7 billion euros with 68,000 employees in 50
countries. With its 25,000 engineers and researchers, Thales has a unique
capability to design, develop and deploy equipment, systems and services that
meet the most complex security requirements. Thales has an exceptional
international footprint, with operations around the world working with
customers as local partners. www.thalesgroup.com
Press Contacts
Thales, Air Systems
Matt Pothecary
Tel: + 33 (0) 1 79 61 18 07
matt.pothecary@thalesgroup.com
Thales, Corporate Communications
Caroline Philips
Tel: + 33 (0) 1 57 77 86 26
caroline.philips@thalesgroup.com
About Xsight
Xsight Systems
is a provider of the world's leading technologies and systems for runway
situational awareness and foreign object debris (FOD) detection in airports,
and advanced sensors for surveillance, security and transportation. Xsight
offers millimetre wave radar, vision sensors and advanced image processing
technologies for static and mobile platforms. Xsight's FODetect® system
introduces a novel concept for detecting foreign objects on airport ground
movement surfaces. Xsight has successfully completed an extensive system
evaluation with the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) at
Boston's Logan International Airport. For more information visit
www.xsightsys.com
Press Contact
Xsight Systems
Meny Benady
Mobile: + 972 (54) 5997047
mbenady@xsightsys.com