Terma proudly announces the successful installation of over 100 of its advanced 3D-Audio systems on U.S. Air Force A-10C Thunderbolt II aircraft, joining many F-16 fleets around the world. The Self-Protection System enhances aircrew situational awareness of the surrounding threat environment by correlating auditory threat warnings with their spatial location relative to the pilot. The 3D-Audio system is compatible with all aircraft types and includes several tools to enhance sound quality and clarity. The system provides high-fidelity digital audio signals from both existing and future aircraft radio and audio sources. By spatially separating the audio sources into distinct locations within the pilot’s field of aural perception, the system aligns audio signals with the physical location of transmitting entities, enhancing threat warning systems and other directional-based audio sources. The system also spatially separates multiple radio frequencies to eliminate the “crowded room” effect; and includes a state-of-the-art active noise reduction capability to reduce “noise fatigue”.
Rob Strasser, VP, Self-Protection Systems at Terma Inc., emphasized the significance of this effort: “At Terma, we are dedicated to aircrew protection. The integration of Terma’s 3D-Audio system onto the A-10C (as well as the F-16) enhances survivability through heightened pilot situational awareness and operational efficiency. Hearing where a missile is coming from with closure rates upwards of 5000 ft/s, for example, increases response times…it buys aircrew those precious seconds to react—that’s a superpower!”
Terma (Denmark & US) handled system design, environmental qualifications, hardware production, program management, integration, and aircraft test/evaluation plan development. Our partner, Gauss Management Research & Engineering (GMRE) managed aircraft electrical wiring design and technical data development, wiring harness production, aircraft/commodity Time Compliance Technical Orders (TCTO), Technical Order (TO) certification, and Contract Field Team (CFT) installations. Key milestones and collaboration details:
- Trial Vehicle Installs: Conducted in the Continental United States (CONUS) Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and Nellis Air Force Base and Internationally to include several European Participating Air Forces
- Major CONUS Contract Details: The $34 million order from the Department of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center WAA division, Hill Air Force Base, includes software development, hardware production, and aircraft installation.
Terma A/S is a Danish defense and aerospace manufacturer for both civilian and military applications, and is owned by the Danish company Thrige Holding A/S. Terma was established in 1949 and is Headquartered in Aarhus, Denmark, Terma has subsidiaries and operations in the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, France, India, United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Indonesia as well as a wholly-owned U.S. subsidiary, Terma Inc. Terma Inc. is headquartered in Atlanta, with other offices in in the Washington D.C. area, Georgia, Texas, and Virginia. It is Denmark’s largest company within the aerospace and the defense industry, employing approximately 1,700 people worldwide. Terma’s high-tech solutions and products are developed and designed for use in extreme mission-critical environments and situations, where human lives and valuable material assets are at stake.
