LED dual red/white strobe is IR-equipped

The use of NVGs in aviation is growing quickly, especially among military and medical helicopter pilots, for their improved sight distance and clarity in identifying obstacles, terrain and changing weather conditions. Yet, certain NVG filters block out the light produced by red LEDs, making the lights difficult to detect. The Dialight product utilises IR LEDs in conjunction with red LEDs to optimise visibility of critical obstructions under all conditions.

The new IR strobe features IR LEDs (in series with the red LEDs) operating with peak intensity at 850nm to ensure 360° of visibility with the latest generation of NVGs utilising Class B or C filters. The Dialight Dual fixture is fully compliant to the IR intensity and angle standards set by the Finnish Transport Safety Agency, which is widely accepted as the international standard.

At present, neither the FAA nor Transport Canada (TC) have implemented IR requirements. But, with the growing popularity of NVGs, this is expected to change soon, and the Dialight Dual IR beacon provides a future-proof solution for U.S. and Canadian obstruction property operators.

Michael Sutsko, Group Chief Executive, Dialight, commented: “As NVG use grows, we expect the FAA and TC to soon mandate IR integration into every existing red obstruction beacon. This product puts obstruction owners and managers ahead of the game, with a compliance-ready solution for enhanced safety and protection for both pilots and the equipment.”

The Dual LED/IR strobe is based on the same low-profile, high-efficiency form factor as Dialight’s standard dual strobe, with the addition of the IR LED module integrated into the flash head. The IR and red LEDs are controlled and monitored together to ensure proper night-time operation with only a negligible increase in power consumption. The IR-equipped flash head is also backwards compatible with existing Dialight red/white strobes in the field, via a simple change out of the flash head and driver.

The Dual LED/IR beacon adds to Dialight’s growing line of IR-equipped obstruction lighting. The company already supplies L-810 low-intensity red side markers and L-864 medium-intensity red beacons, both approved to FAA AC 150-5345/43G and EB 67D standards as well. This expanding line enables tower and other obstruction owners to streamline procurement and vendor relations by sourcing all obstruction lighting needs from a single supplier.

As with all Dialight obstruction products, the Dual LED/IR strobe is backed by Dialight’s five-year, full-performance warranty for long-life reliability to dramatically reduce maintenance costs and the risk of FAA non-compliance fines compared to conventional beacon lighting technology.