Airborne Lighting Systems for Defence Helicopter Platforms
System Controls designs, develops and manufactures landing lights for low-speed airborne platforms, primarily helicopters. The range covers dual filament and LED lighting solutions, each offering both visible and covert infrared modes of operation, two-axis motorised deployment, and compliance with MIL-STD environmental, power supply and EMI/EMC standards. All products are engineered for reliable performance in all-weather conditions at platform speeds up to 330 km/hr.
Landing and search lighting for helicopters demands more than raw light output. It demands rapid, reliable deployment at speed, seamless switching between visible and covert IR modes for night operations, and mechanical resilience against wind loads, vibration and temperature extremes encountered across airborne platforms.
System Controls landing lights are built around precision rugged steel gear trains, DC motor-driven gear mechanisms and highly reliable slip rings rated to withstand operational wind loads. Limit switches control power supply cut-off and cut-on as required. All variants support continuous 360-degree rotation in the extended position with illumination available across the full +90° to -90° rotation arc in both visible and IR modes.
Proven Industry Expertise
With 35+ years in defence and aerospace, we bring deep technical knowledge beyond just hardware supply.
Solutions Built for Performance & Reliability
Proven Industry Expertise
With 35+ years in defence and aerospace, we bring deep technical knowledge beyond just hardware supply.
Global Technology Partners
Collaborations with leading international technology providers ensure high-performance, reliable solutions.
End-to-End Solutions
From engineering and integration to after-sales support, everything is delivered under one roof.
Advanced Technology Access
Leveraging cutting-edge innovations through collaborations with premier research organizations.
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System Controls has designed, developed and manufactured airborne lighting systems for defence helicopter platforms with over 35 years of aerospace domain experience. Every product in this range is built in-house at the Hi-Tech Defence and Aerospace Industrial Area, Hoskote, Bengaluru, validated to MIL-STD standards and supported by System Controls' end-to-end engineering, CNC machining, electronic testing and system integration capabilities. As a supplier to HAL and India's leading defence aerospace establishments, System Controls understands the qualification requirements and operational demands placed on every component that flies.
All three landing light variants are designed and manufactured for low-speed airborne helicopter platforms. They are validated for operation at platform speeds up to 330 km/hr (confirmed for DFLL) during landing, taxiing and search operations.
Yes. All three variants support covert IR mode operation with a wavelength range of 790-920nm, making them compatible with night vision goggle-assisted operations. Residual visible light in IR mode is kept to 1CP maximum to maintain covert compliance.
Extension from 0° to 120° takes 12 seconds maximum (at 180 knots for DFLL). Full 360-degree rotation is completed in 15 seconds maximum. Both actions are motorised and commanded from the cockpit.
All three variants deliver a visible mode beam spread of 14° horizontal by 8° vertical in visible mode, and 60° horizontal by 60° vertical in IR mode. This combination provides a focused landing beam in visible mode and a wide-area covert illumination cone in IR mode.
Yes. The DFLL is confirmed all-weather compliant per its brochure and MIL-STD-810F environmental qualification. The LED variants use the same rugged gear train and slip ring construction designed for all-weather helicopter operations.
The DFLL operates on 28V DC, consuming 280W in visible mode and 28W in IR mode. Power supply compliance is per MIL-STD-704D. Power specifications for the LED variants are pending engineering team confirmation.
Yes. All variants deliver illumination in both visible and IR modes across the full +90° to -90° rotation arc during continuous 360-degree rotation in the extended position.
Both LED landing light variants share identical mechanical design, deployment mechanism, IR mode specifications and operational capability. The only difference is peak visible light output: the 3L cd version delivers 300,000 cd and the 1.5L cd version delivers 150,000 cd. Selection depends on platform illumination requirements and weight/power budgets.
