Aerospace company RUAG is upgrading eight Cougar transport helicopters belonging to the Swiss Air Force under a corresponding agreement with armasuisse, according to a statement. The primary focus of the modernisations will be electronic flight control, navigation and communication systems.
Also among the helicopters’ latest technological features will be new flight management computers, precision navigation systems for instrument flights and collision warning systems, as well as helmet mounted displays for projecting the most important flight data on the pilot’s visor.
RUAG is also equipping the helicopters with the IDAS-3 self-defense system. The system alerts the crew to radar, laser and electro-optical waves, and missiles. It also issues countermeasures, such as dispensing decoys. The helicopters will also receive a RUAG-developed system that emits an audible signal when the rotorcraft leaves a defined flight level.
In the statement, RUAG describes the transport helicopters as “flying, heavy-duty workers and life savers” that “transport people and materials, support search and rescue missions for missing persons and are considered a highly prized tool in disaster relief missions in Switzerland and abroad.”
RUAG will upgrade the helicopters in Emmen, where its aerostructures and aviation department is based.
