Elbit Systems Ltd. and the regional turboprop aircraft manufacturer ATR announced today the signature of an agreement for integrating ClearVision Enhanced Flight Vision System (EFVS) with the SKYLENS wearable display onboard the new ATR-600 series. The system can also be offered as a retrofit to other ATR '-600' aircraft already in service. Enhancing flight safety, the new system will also contribute to the operational availability of turboprop aircraft, often required to operate from airfields lacking sophisticated infrastructure.

Yoram Shmuely, General Manager of Elbit Systems' Aerospace Division, noted: “We are very proud to be selected by ATR, to enhance its aircraft to take-off and land even in low visibility conditions, thanks to our cutting-edge ClearVision EFVS family of products”.

Patrick de Castelbajac, Chief Executive Officer of ATR, declared: “We are pleased to introduce such a leading-edge development into the ATR -600s. The new SKYLENS system will further enhance the airlines' operations, providing more operational flexibility and even higher standards of safety and reliability”.

Suitable for day and night operations and in all weather conditions, the system provides head-up information while minimizing the dependency on airport instrumentation. Equipped with the new ClearVision EFVS and SKYLENS wearable display, aircraft are capable of take-off and landing in low visibility conditions and in locations that non EVS-equipped aircraft previously could not approach.

According to the agreement between the two companies, Clearvision EFVS will be introduced as an option for both ATR 42-600 and 72-600 models. ATR will be the launch customer for SKYLENS, which replaces the traditional Head Up Display (HUD) in this configuration. Certification is expected by 2017.

SKYLENS is a part of the Clearvision Enhanced Flight Vision System (EFVS) family. It displays high-resolution information, images and video on a high transparency visor, providing pilots with cutting edge head out capabilities.