Saab signs contract with Barco for four SEERTM 8 mini-dome systems at I/ITSEC 2004
Orlando, Fla., I/ITSEC 2004, Booth 1101 – The Saab-Barco contract enables the delivery of Gripen simulators to the Swedish, Hungarian, and Czech Republic Air Forces. The simulators will be equipped with Barco SEER 8 mini-dome display systems and Saab image generation software.
“Saab and Barco have been able to work closely together to develop a solution to meet and exceed the customer’s requirements,” says Stefan Sandberg, Training Systems Manager for Saab Aerosystems. “Thanks to this relationship, both companies have been very open and flexible to tailor a customized solution. It’s a pleasure to work with Barco on this challenging project.”“We have received a huge response from I/ITSEC attendees who have stopped by to see our SEER mini-dome solution,” says Michel Vandeplas, President for Barco Presentation and Simulation. “This contract illustrates the success of the SEER mini-dome concept and our systems solutions offering. Barco is very pleased to partner with Saab. They are a savvy technological team that truly understands simulation requirements and solutions.”
Saab’s new tactical, support and training system, called PETRA (Planning, Evaluation, Training, Rehearsal and Analysis) will use the Barco SEER mini-dome for Gripen C/D – the latest version of fighter aircraft. Saab will deliver four Barco SEER mini-dome systems to FMV, the Swedish customer. The PETRA concept will be deployed to Air Force simulation training centers in Sweden, Hungary, and Czech Republic to enhance military flight training effectiveness.
Barco now has 15 mini-dome orders and commitments as part of its long list of system installation references worldwide. The Saab contract expands the growing Barco installation base. “Barco and Saab have discussed to jointly develop future simulation solutions outside of this contract,” says Sven Walsater, Procurement Manager Support Systems at Saab Aerosystems.
Michel Vandeplas of Barco and Sven Walsater of Saab signing SEER mini-dome contract
Barco SEER mini-dome
Developed for immersive military training applications, the Barco SEER mini-dome system comprises of a custom 240-degree spherical dome structure, eight-channel projection system, sophisticated alignment and control tools, and dedicated peripheral devices. A compact and flexible solution, the SEER mini-dome maximizes training space. It has a small footprint and low height profile.
The Barco SEER mini-dome solution provides constant eye relief over the entire spherical surface and optimizes out-of-window scenes. The spherical shape maintains a constant distance between the pilot’s eye and the projected simulation preventing the pilot’s eyes from having to adjust to geometric changes in the surface area. It also creates a seamless projection surface and offers greater continuous visual range. Pilots experience full-immersive training at a level not realized with current technology. The projection technology is optimized for matching color, brightness, gray scale, and other visual parameters. Resolution is uniform across all channels of the dome, which is important for air-to-air combat training.
The Barco SEER mini-dome is a complete display solution with a powerful set of optimized system features to maximize performance, deliver reliable long-term operation, and reduce cost of ownership to 50%. First, it’s equipped with Barco’s xRACU™, a highly flexible remote alignment and control unit that allows you to operate, calibrate, configure, and diagnose multiple Barco projector from a single, hand-held controller. A full-color, LCD panel, remote touch screen lets you interact with the projection system. The xRACU instantly detects the projector type and location when a projector is replaced, and automatically downloads its display parameters (video timings, etc.). Valuable data is safely stored for future use and enables a technician to get a projector up and running fast.
New optimization features maintain uniform light output and color reproduction over time for the complete visualization system, even after lamp replacement. The Linked Constant Light Output (Linked CLO™) - a worldwide first for DLP and LCD projectors - enables the user to set a certain brightness level that is constantly monitored and maintained. Linked Dynacolor™ allows the user to digitally set the primary and secondary color coordinates in order to obtain perfect color matching across a system. The system also auto-senses the addition of a new projector and updates the common color triangle as required.
Barco’s Laser Diode Array Tool (LDAT™) is used to mark reference points to effectively align the mini-dome display channels. The LDAT contains 30 laser light sources, which can be independently directed to dedicated points on the screen.
Multiple arrays are used to mark the complete mini-dome, multi-channel system. Barco’s LDAT, a permanent maintenance tool, verifies the proper alignment of the display system.
Central to the Barco SEER mini-dome solution is the dome screen. The screen is engineered to optimize screen gain and contrast. To complement the visualization solution, the projection system effectively performs internal, optical multi-sided edge blending and includes advanced, integrated bi-cubic geometry distortion for seamless, high-quality imaging on the dome surface.
SEER, xRACU, CLO, Dynacolor, and LDAT are trademarks of Barco.
About Barco
Barco, an international company headquartered in Kortrijk, Belgium, provides visualization and display solutions for professional markets. Barco designs and develops solutions for large screen visualization, display solutions for life-critical applications, and systems for visual inspection. Barco has a network of subsidiaries, distributors and agents in almost 100 countries. Barco is quoted on Euronext Brussels and is a BEL 20 and a Next 150 company.
About Saab
Saab is one of the world’s leading high-technology companies, with its main operations focusing on defense, aviation and space. The group covers a broad spectrum of competence and capabilities in systems integration, and can be found on the Web at www.saab.se.
About I/ITSEC
Initiated in 1966 as the Naval Training Device Center/Industry Conference, the conference has evolved and expanded through increased participation by the Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Industry. In 1979 it became known as the Interservice/Industry Training Equipment Conference. It attracts over 14,000 participants and over 3,000 attendees annually.
