Civilian Skies, Combat Eyes
What began as a mission to adapt fighter jet technologies has become an innovator in the way commercial pilots see, decide, and fly. A glimpse into the portfolio of one of Elbit Systems’ most intriguing subsidiaries.
In commercial aviation, the cockpit has often lagged behind. While military pilots have long relied on head-up displays, augmented vision, and real-time data fusion, civilian flight crews were left with more conventional tools – until Elbit Systems set out to close the gap.
The idea took flight over a decade ago, when Elbit’s civil aviation team posed a simple question: what if commercial pilots could fly with the same tools as fighter pilots? Drawing from Elbit’s deep bench of military tech, they set out to adapt, certify, and reimagine those systems for the civilian sky. The ambition was bold – but so was the opportunity.
“There was a huge gap between what a fighter pilot sees in the cockpit and what a commercial pilot has access to,” says Dror, head of Elbit Systems' civil aviation business unit and CEO of Universal Avionics. “Our mission was to close that gap – safely, efficiently, and within civilian certification frameworks.”
From the Battlefield to the Runway
In 2018, Elbit Systems made an important move by acquiring Universal Avionics – a respected U.S. company known for its dependable flight management systems and cockpit displays. The acquisition didn’t just expand the customer base; it created a launchpad for an innovative kind of flight experience.
“When we integrated Universal Avionics into Elbit Systems, it was more than a business move – it was a way to build a fully integrated avionics suite,” says Dror.
“From the FMS to the vision systems to the AI processors, it’s all connected.”
Today, Universal Avionics’s systems are found in over 35,000 aircraft worldwide, from business jets and helicopters to passenger planes and civil mission fleets. But the real story lies inside the cockpit – where the transformation is unfolding.
With technologies like the Enhanced Flight Vision System (EFVS) – which combines multispectral EVS cameras with wearable or head-mounted displays – pilots can “see” the runway in fog, darkness, or heavy weather. It’s almost like flying with your head outside the cockpit.
“We wanted to create a ‘head-out’ experience – one where pilots feel like they’re seeing the world with their own eyes, even in total darkness,” Dror explains. “Pilots are flying with wearable device that projects everything you need to know, straight into your field of view.”
“Our goal was to give civilian pilots the situational awareness of a fighter pilot,”
explains Dror. “We’re combining AI, AR, image processing, and real-time sensor data into clear, actionable information – right in the pilot’s line of sight.”
The technology is impressive, but also remarkably intuitive. From AI-driven voice-to-text transcription of air traffic control to AR overlays that highlight hazards and flight paths, every element is built not just to inform – but to support real-time decision-making.
“The civil aviation environment is only getting more complex – more drones, more traffic, more data,” Dror adds. “We believe that pilots need better tools, not more stress. That’s where AI and AR come in.”
Smarter Flights, Safer Landings
One of the most impactful innovations is Universal Avionics’ Flight Management Systems (FMS). These systems give pilots fast, efficient tools to create and update flight plans in real time. Integrated fuel management eliminates unnecessary stops, saving both time and cost. Pilots can fly complex procedures with precision – from holding patterns to final approaches – while access to extensive navigation databases streamlines data entry and boosts flight efficiency.
Behind the scenes, Universal Avionics operates across three continents. Engineering leadership comes from Israel, R&D is based in Georgia, and manufacturing and customer operations span Arizona and France. Together, these global teams blend military-grade expertise with the precision and reliability that civil aviation demands.
From smarter Flight Data Recorders to image recognition systems like APERTURE, and from connected cockpits to autonomous capabilities in development – Universal Avionics isn’t just improving equipment. It’s aiming to rethink how pilots fly.
