By mid-2022, RUAG plans to upgrade Swiss Air Force Cougar helicopters at its Emmen facility. The helicopters, purchased in 1998, are expected to undergo a major modernization project involving electronic flight control as well as navigation and communication systems. The upgrade includes new flight management computers, an IFR precision navigation system, a collision avoidance system, and a system developed by RUAG that emits a sound signal when the helicopter leaves a given flight level. The set also includes helmet-mounted displays with flight data projection on the visor, as well as the latest generation of radio equipment and satellite phones. The Cougars will also receive the latest IDAS-3 self-defense system. This system alerts the crew to the presence of radar, laser or electro-optical waves, as well as that of missiles.
In addition to this modernization, RUAG will carry out a complete overhaul (Check-C) of the helicopters.
