BAE SYSTEMS2003-09-18 08:30:08
BAE SYSTEMS FLIGHT TESTS ADVANCED AIRBORNE RECONNAISSANCE SYSTEM
BAE SYSTEMS successfully demonstrated its Advanced Airborne Reconnaissance System (AARS) during August flight trials at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. AARS, the latest addition to the BAE SYSTEMS reconnaissance product line, was flown on a U.S. Air Force F-16 Block 50 fighter aircraft at altitudes up to 50,000 feet.
AARS was developed by BAE SYSTEMS Communication, Navigation, Identification and Reconnaissance (CNIR) business unit in Greenlawn, New York. It is a complete near-real-time reconnaissance system that includes airborne image acquisition and solid-state storage, data linking, ground exploitation, moving target indication, and intelligence dissemination capabilities.
The system can be deployed on a variety of military aircraft. AARS features multiple fields-of-view in a single sensor - the largest with a 120-inch focal length. The system provides either individual or simultaneous visible and infrared imaging, as well as manual or autonomous operation.
During the flight trials at Eglin, AARS captured images of tri-bar resolution targets, military vehicles and geographical targets from standoff ranges greater than 25 miles. Tri-bar resolution is a type of spatial resolution measurement that enables the pilot to determine scale and calculate the distance between objects on the ground. Future flight tests will demonstrate the system's imaging capabilities to capture imagery at supersonic speeds with a standoff range up to 100 miles.
"For the armed forces, multiple fields-of-view in a single sensor package means that the right reconnaissance capability is always on the aircraft even as battlespace conditions and threats change. This simplifies logistics and can dramatically reduce mission deployment times,� said David Hails, CNIR vice president and general manager for Reconnaissance and Surveillance Systems. "By integrating these elements, AARS provides a broad and sophisticated reconnaissance capability in one flexible, user-oriented system.�
The latest flight test aboard the F-16 validated the effectiveness of several key new technologies incorporated into the airborne sensor - including fiber-optic gyroscopes and digital servo-controllers that provide precise pointing and geo-positioning accuracy.
BAE SYSTEMS successfully demonstrated its Advanced Airborne Reconnaissance System (AARS) during August flight trials at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. AARS, the latest addition to the BAE SYSTEMS reconnaissance product line, was flown on a U.S. Air Force F-16 Block 50 fighter aircraft at altitudes up to 50,000 feet.
AARS was developed by BAE SYSTEMS Communication, Navigation, Identification and Reconnaissance (CNIR) business unit in Greenlawn, New York. It is a complete near-real-time reconnaissance system that includes airborne image acquisition and solid-state storage, data linking, ground exploitation, moving target indication, and intelligence dissemination capabilities.
The system can be deployed on a variety of military aircraft. AARS features multiple fields-of-view in a single sensor - the largest with a 120-inch focal length. The system provides either individual or simultaneous visible and infrared imaging, as well as manual or autonomous operation.
During the flight trials at Eglin, AARS captured images of tri-bar resolution targets, military vehicles and geographical targets from standoff ranges greater than 25 miles. Tri-bar resolution is a type of spatial resolution measurement that enables the pilot to determine scale and calculate the distance between objects on the ground. Future flight tests will demonstrate the system's imaging capabilities to capture imagery at supersonic speeds with a standoff range up to 100 miles.
"For the armed forces, multiple fields-of-view in a single sensor package means that the right reconnaissance capability is always on the aircraft even as battlespace conditions and threats change. This simplifies logistics and can dramatically reduce mission deployment times,� said David Hails, CNIR vice president and general manager for Reconnaissance and Surveillance Systems. "By integrating these elements, AARS provides a broad and sophisticated reconnaissance capability in one flexible, user-oriented system.�
The latest flight test aboard the F-16 validated the effectiveness of several key new technologies incorporated into the airborne sensor - including fiber-optic gyroscopes and digital servo-controllers that provide precise pointing and geo-positioning accuracy.
For more information contact:
Warwick House
Po Box 87
Farnborough Aerospace Centre
Farnborough
Hampshire
GU14 6YU
United Kingdom
Tel: + 44 1252 373232
Fax: + 44 1252 383000