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Archive for the ‘Sensors’ Category

GeoCue Welcomes The LiDAR Pros to Its Distribution Network

Sunday, March 10th, 2024

The New Partnership Expands LiDAR Coverage Throughout the Western United States

Huntsville, Alabama – GeoCue, a leading provider of drone LiDAR mapping hardware and software, is pleased to announce the addition of The LiDAR Pros (TLP) to its growing distribution network. Based in Las Vegas, Nevada, The LiDAR Pros will serve as a key distributor covering Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Southern California, and Western Arizona providing TrueView 3D Imaging Sensors, fully integrated LiDAR systems from Microdrones, and LP360 LiDAR Processing Software.

The LiDAR Pros, a startup powered by Sundance Media Group (SMG), brings over 50 years of industry expertise to the table. Specializing in NDAA-compliant UAS products and offering a “white glove” experience with LiDAR and photogrammetry workflows, The LiDAR Pros caters to clients in the Departments of Transportation, AEC (Architecture, Engineering, and Construction), and public safety organizations seeking precision measurement aerial technologies.

“We aim to provide a seamless experience for our customers, from training to final delivery,” said Douglas Spotted Eagle, head of Marketing/Client Relationships at The LiDAR Pros. “With a focus on NDAA-compliant products, we proudly offer the full Microdrones and GeoCue lineup. Teaming up with Sundance Media Group allows us to provide unparalleled training expertise. Through this collaboration, we will offer a ‘try-before-you-buy’ approach, providing actual paid services and full deliverables. LP360 processing software will serve as the backbone of our offerings, ensuring efficiency and accuracy in our workflow.”

Jennifer Pidgen, Owner, and COO of Sundance Media Group, commented on the strategic importance of the collaboration, saying, “We believe that there’s significant opportunity in the industry right now because not everyone understands LiDAR. Our goal is to address challenges, fears, concerns, and elevate the understanding of LiDAR and the opportunities that aerial data capture can provide.”

Aaron Beach, the Western Representative for GeoCue has worked with Douglas for many years and praises the new approach. “They’ve brought together a team of seasoned experts with extensive backgrounds in the LiDAR industry, many of whom have also excelled in complementary fields,” said Beach. “Their collective experience spans over 80 years across various verticals, allowing The LiDAR Pros to bridge the knowledge gap for their clients, and show them how to leverage LiDAR and photogrammetry to their fullest potential.”

Douglas shared further insight stating, “As industry professionals, we’ve extensively evaluated various LiDAR manufacturers and providers. Our experience has unequivocally shown that no one matches the innovation and excellence brought forth by GeoCue. From hardware to software, GeoCue’s integration sets them apart, offering unparalleled ease of use and quality of deliverables.”

The LiDAR Pros Brady Reisch, whose responsibilities include LP360 processing, AutoCAD outputs, and mission operations has been working directly with end-users for a decade, growing his experience out of his background in architecture and drafting. “I’ve been very happy working with the TrueView 535 on our mid-lift UAS, capturing data that until recently, was very expensive and somewhat complicated to capture. Today, managing LiDAR data in LP360, we’re able to provide an extremely high-quality product with unbelievably fast turnarounds.”

GeoCue’s partnership with The LiDAR Pros emphasizes its commitment to providing high-quality LiDAR solutions to customers across various industries. With The LiDAR Pros’ extensive experience and dedication to client satisfaction, this collaboration will drive innovation and streamline workflows for aerial data capture and analysis.

WindSceptor Wind Speed and Range Finder

Thursday, December 14th, 2023

The WindSceptor from Optical Air Data Systems is a laser wind and range finder which remotely measures wind speed, direction, and range-to-target.

The system works by firing series of 1550nm eye-safe laser pulses into the atmosphere. As the laser pulses travel through the air, a small fraction of the laser light is reflected from microscopic dust particles naturally entrained in the air. Sensors detect this reflected light and compute the speed and direction of travel of these dust particles (and consequently the speed and direction of the three-dimensional wind) using the Doppler Principle.

Thunderbolt
There are currently three devices in the WindSceptor line:

Tempest is a 3.25 lbs handheld binocular. Measurement range out to 5,000m as well as head and crosswind measurements in six range gates between 50m and 500m.

Thunderbolt is a 14 oz rifle mounted device. Measures range to 1600m and head and crosswinds from 80-100m. Thunderbolt also includes visible and near-infrared laser pointers and illuminators.

WindSceptor 4 weighs 8 lbs and features an integrated optic and integrated tripod. It ranges out to 5,000m as well as head and crosswind measurements in six range gates out to 1,000m.

All of the systems feature integrated GPS/IMU and offers Bluetooth as well as cursor-on-target data output as well an internal rechargeable battery.

Naturally, you’d immediately consider this technology for use on weapons to improve accuracy and it’s already being used for that.

However, there are applications in the aviation realm which bear consideration. For example, Combat Controllers could use a system to read winds around assault landing zones to improve safety. Likewise, Drop Zone Safety Officers could read winds on large DZs rather than relying on limited wind speed sampling using an anemometer.

www.windsceptor.com

ARDRONIS Locate Compact Fully SAPIENT Compliant

Monday, November 6th, 2023

Rohde & Schwarz successfully prove ARDRONIS Locate Compact fully compliant with new SAPIENT standard protocol for use in counter UAS missions, as part of NATO Technical Interoperability Exercise.

Munich, October 2023 — Rohde & Schwarz has proven its new ARDRONIS Locate Compact system for use in counter unmanned aerial systems (C-UAS) missions. Integrated through the new SAPIENT standard protocol and tested at the NATO Technical Interoperability Exercise (TIE) event at Vredepeel in the Netherlands, the solution automatically detects and identifies drones based on their broadband video radio signals.

The NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCI Agency) organized exercise C-UAS TIE 23 that brought together civilian and military specialists, as well as over 60 industry participants. This exercise tested counter-drone technologies to make sure different systems could communicate and work together instantly.

Rohde & Schwarz is committed to supporting the standardization system of NATO and is SAPIENT compliant. The company is working to simplify the integration of its system into larger systems. The SAPIENT protocol allows data from sensors, effectors, and cyber to be converted into a common language and shared across networks supporting the CUAV mission.

Anne Stephan, Vice President Critical Infrastructure & Network, Rohde & Schwarz, said, “We are excited to launch ARDRONIS Locate Compact in November. We are committed to advancing and testing the SAPIENT interface and supporting the standardization system of NATO. Our goal is to simplify the integration of our system into larger systems.”

ARDRONIS Locate Compact from Rohde & Schwarz is designed to be cost-effective and can be used to monitor large areas that require a greater number of antennas and radio direction finders. It is suitable for fixed installations such as airports, large industrial or military facilities, as well as for semi-transportable systems that can be set up and operated by a single person for short-term area surveillance, such as protecting political VIPs during public appearances or military positions.

SOFWERX- Urban Non-LOS Targeting Systems Feasibility Study & Rapid Prototype Event

Tuesday, October 17th, 2023

SOFWERX, in collaboration with USSOCOM in collaboration with USSOCOM Program Executive Office – SOF Warrior (PEO-SW), will facilitate a series of Feasibility Studies (FS) and Rapid Prototype Events (RPE) 11-13 December, 2023, to develop concepts and components of systems that utilize an open architecture to enable rapid, precise, operator-controlled Non-Line of Sight (Non-LOS) targeting in urban, surveilled environments. Additionally, system-level aspects, such as integration, testing, and training, are also considered to ensure fieldable solutions.

ecent battlefield advancements with fixed and mobile sensors are changing the relational dynamic between opposing sides in the close-in fight. Autonomous vehicles and remotely placed sensors have made it very difficult to ingress to and operate in static, fixed locations with Line-of-Sight (LOS) of opposing positions. Reliable networks of sensors can provide virtual LOS for targeting, while enabling SOF operators to remain in unexposed positions. In situations in which a human operator cannot maintain direct LOS, targeting data must be obtained, integrated, and validated to ensure the entire situation is fully understood before kinetic action is initiated. This sensor to integration to visualization process for the operator must occur almost instantaneously to take advantage of fleeting opportunities of the close-in fight. There are many commercially driven opportunities that should be investigated, and the myriad of issues must be better understood to develop a complete close-in, non-LOS targeting system. Further, the system should have an open architecture to permit easy technology insertion. This system will rely heavily on Artificial Intelligence and due to its complex nature will need advanced means to evaluate and train with it in many differing scenarios.

The operational focus of this effort is an urban environment. World-wide trends toward urbanization will force military operations in urban areas that have much more complex environments. Collateral impact to neutral parties must be minimized in rapidly changing scenarios. Urban structures and high-signal densities impact sensor, communications, and weapons operations.

Proposals in the following areas will be considered based on technical merit and diversity of focus area coverage among the submissions. Targeting is intended for kinetic follow-on effects, but parallels to Cyber, Electronic Warfare, and other effects can be included.

1) Sensors. What sensors can provide unique discriminating data to aid in obtaining a non-LOS targeting solution? What platforms can be used to standardize sensor control and data formatting? What sensor collaboration would be beneficial (radar, electro-optical, infrared, hyperspectral, etc.)? What are the parametric requirements for the use case? What is the impact of the urban environment? Fixed vs mobile sensors. Demonstrate your concept in an urban environment.

2) Data networking (transport/backhaul). What short-range data links can be used to form a network? How do the data requirements match the networking capabilities? What mechanisms are available to ensure availability, integrity, enhanced survivability, and other required protections? What network structure is suitable for urban environments? Demonstrate your concept in an urban environment.

3) Data processing. What is needed to effectively clean and normalize the data? How are missing elements of data handled? How can distributed processing be accomplished? How is data accuracy evaluated? Develop a data architecture concept. Demonstrate your concept using data representative of an urban environment.

4) Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence. What algorithms can be used to group, correlate, and synchronize data to build a complete, accurate and actionable picture? Timeliness vs completeness vs resource trade-offs. What can be accomplished on the edge to produce dependable target recognition? Defined by characteristics that include:

• increased identification rates of intended targets

• increased discrimination of decoys

• ability to maintain target lock while maneuvering in 3-D space

Demonstrate your concept using data representative of an urban environment.

5) Data Visualization. How are the data and processing results displayed? How would Android Tactical Assault Kit (ATAK) or similar devices be integrated into the non-LOS targeting system? How is data presented horizontally and vertically? Concepts for relating non-LOS targeting data with other display data. Demonstrate effective visualization in a complex urban environment.

6) System Integration, Testing, and Training Concepts. The system aspects of solutions are as important as specific components. What are the issues with integration when looking at the above focus areas collectively? What integration trade-offs are available? What are concepts to test the components separately and together in a real urban environment? What are training concepts for situations in which you may not be able to combine all aspects of the system in an actual environment?

For full details and access to submission templates, visit events.sofwerx.org/urban-non-los-targeting-systems.

Submit NLT 08 November 2023 11:59 PM ET.

Microdrones Offers The First Complete NDAA-Compliant LiDAR Drone Surveying System

Tuesday, September 12th, 2023

EasyOneLiDAR NDAA is An Ideal System For DOT, Government, and Data Security Sensitive Requirements

September 6, 2023

Las Vegas, NV- Long a popular event to announce the latest developments in drone surveying technology, the bustling Commercial UAV Expo provided the perfect forum to present forthcoming equipment from Microdrones. Vivien Heriard Dubreuil, CEO of mdGroup (parent company of Microdrones) explained “EasyOneLiDAR NDAA provides all of the convenience, ease of use, small form factor and accuracy of our EasyOne system, but this version is NDAA compliant, including the LiDAR and imaging payload.”

Vincent Legrand, VP of Sales for Microdrones added, “When we launched our EasyOne system earlier this year, we saw some big interest from public enterprises, but they needed full NDAA-compliance. That’s why we are so pleased to announce EasyOneLiDAR NDAA. It’s the first complete solution of its kind to hit the market with NDAA-compliance.”

To achieve NDAA-compliance, the Microdrones team developed a new ground control system and LiDAR payload.


Pictured above: EasyOneLiDAR NDAA is integrated with a new ground control system.

EasyOneLiDAR NDAA features a new LiDAR sensor with 128 channels and Triple 1’’ cameras with mechanical shutters, providing RGB 60 MP combined resolution.


Pictured above: EasyOneLiDAR NDAA features a new LiDAR sensor with 128 channels and Triple 1’’ cameras with mechanical shutters, providing RGB 60 MP combined resolution.

Legrand concluded, “We are taking pre orders now, for delivery in October; interest has been high and we anticipate strong ordering activity in Q4 for this system. There is some pent up demand for something like this in the market.”

To learn more about Microdrones, visit www.microdrones.com.

To learn more about GeoCue, visit www.geocue.com.

SPX CommTech Launches Latest Transportable Tactical COMINT 953 RF Receiver

Wednesday, August 23rd, 2023

• New Communications Intelligence (COMINT) Radio Frequency Receiver delivers superior threat analysis at a time of heightened electronic warfare activity.

• 953 COMINT Radio Frequency Receiver will be exhibited for the first time at DSEI 2023.

Wappenham, UK, 22 August 2023  – SPX CommTech, formed by TCI and ECS, today launches its next generation 953 Communications Intelligence (COMINT) Radio Frequency (RF) Receiver for superior identification, direction-finding, and tracking of hostile RF signals to support COMINT and Counter-UAS tactical operations. It will be exhibited for the first time at DSEI, Excel London, on stand H2-874, between 12-15 September 2023. 

The new 953 COMINT RF Receiver builds on the success of its predecessor and now boasts reduced size and weight, but with greater power. This makes the device portable for dismounted operations and easily mounted on a vehicle to support mobility operations. For example, it can be carried to an elevated position in a dismounted role, such as a tactical position only accessible on foot or on top of a high-rise building, to ensure the antenna is situated at height for optimum signal detection and increased range.

The 953 COMINT RF Receiver performs continuous, unmanned, remote, and real-time signal collection up to 80MHz bandwidth across a frequency of up to 40GHz for signal monitoring, collection, and direction-finding. This bandwidth delivers a sweet spot between monitoring sufficient signal breadth and amplitude to ensure quality and accuracy in identifying threats.

The 953 COMINT RF Receiver is powered with removable hot-swappable batteries for round-the-clock use. The new compact chassis is IP-67 rated to withstand temperatures up to 50°C to deliver full operational capability in extreme hostile climatic environments. It also boasts increased removable storage of up to 2 TB for enhanced data capture. 

“All around the world, heightened political, military and societal tension, and the growing use of electronic warfare, demonstrates the unparalleled importance of managing and understanding the RF spectrum today. Threat analysis and response are critical to global security, so we are excited to welcome the next generation product of our successful RF range, currently used across 20 countries,” says Graeme Forsyth, Counter-UAS Product Manager at SPX CommTech.

The 953 COMINT RF Receiver is powered by SPX CommTech’s well-renowned Blackbird software application, which detects, identifies, direction-finds and tracks signals of interest to support, find, fix and strike operations, and mitigate electronic warfare threats. It also tracks the RF emission of UAVs and their controllers or Data Links to support counter-responses. Blackbird can record the signal environment for look-back analysis without interrupting the current mission. It simplifies the collection task and can trigger automated actions and support unattended operations.

Utilising part of the 953 COMINT RF Receiver, Blackbird also uses geolocation to enable defence teams to visualise the location of the frequencies for improved intelligence-gathering and threat management. Blackbird’s intuitive point-and-click user experience suits all skill levels and is an evolution of the proven intuitive interface in previous models. This ensures minimal training requirements for existing customers while enabling new users to master the system quickly.

The new 953 COMINT RF Receiver is backwards compatible with previous COMINT versions and other technologies from SPX CommTech, for cost avoidance, uninterrupted service and seamless scalability for our users. It can also be integrated with open-source or customer-supplied mapping and other integrations.

The 953 COMINT RF Receiver is available today, and current COMINT models in service with customers will continue to be supported by SPX CommTech. 

For more information, visit www.tcibr.com. Book a time to discuss your COMINT needs with us at DSEI (Excel London, 12-15 September 2023) by emailing tci_sales@spx.com.

Mercury Completes Delivery of Critical Hardware for the U.S. Army’s Next-Generation LTAMDS Radars

Friday, August 18th, 2023

ANDOVER, Mass., Aug. 09, 2023 — Mercury Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: MRCY, www.mrcy.com), a technology company that delivers processing power for the most demanding aerospace and defense missions, today announced it has completed delivery of the processing hardware for the U.S. Army’s first six Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor (LTAMDS) radars, being built by Raytheon, an RTX business.

LTAMDS is the Army’s newest air and missile defense sensor that will operate on the Army’s Integrated Air and Missile Defense network. LTAMDS is a 360-degree, Active Electronically Scanned Array radar that provides significantly more capacity and capability against the wide range of advanced lower-tier threats, including hypersonic missiles.

Mercury has provided radar processing systems to Raytheon for Patriot® radars since 2009. In 2019, Raytheon was chosen by the Army to deliver the first six LTAMDS radars, and Raytheon tapped Mercury to develop an expanded suite of advanced electronic systems that included the radar processing platform, the beamforming platform, ethernet switching hardware, and high-power amplifiers for the antenna array. In May, Mercury delivered the last of more than 160 hardware units that fulfilled its obligations under the proof of manufacturing contract.

“We are extraordinarily proud to meet our initial commitments to the LTAMDS program, which will play an enormous role in the safety and security of the United States and our allies for years to come,” said Mitch Stevison, EVP and President of Mercury’s of Mission Systems division. “The leading-edge processing technologies we pioneered for this program represent a major step forward for integrated air and missile defense.”

Mercury envisions, creates, and delivers innovative technology solutions purpose-built to meet its customers’ most pressing high-tech needs. For more information, visit mrcy.com.

Army Accepts Prototypes of the Most Advanced Version of IVAS

Friday, August 4th, 2023

This week, the Army accepted delivery of the first 20 prototypes of the Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS) 1.2 variant. The milestone is the latest step in the process of getting the most advanced version of the situational awareness system in the hands of Soldiers.

Microsoft delivered the 20 prototypes to Project Manager Soldier Warrior (PM SWAR), the program office within Program Executive Office (PEO) Soldier responsible for overseeing the development of IVAS.

IVAS is a single platform that features an all-weather fighting goggle and a mixed reality heads-up display that integrates next-generation situational awareness tools and high-resolution simulations to provide Soldiers with improved mobility and lethality, during the day or at night. IVAS provides Soldiers with a single device to fight, rehearse and train.

“This is a really big deal for the program,” said Col. Anthony Gibbs, PM SWAR. “A little over a year ago we did an operational test with version 1.0 of the system. We learned a lot. We got a lot of good Soldier feedback. So last summer we came back and restructured the program. We took those lessons learned and all that Soldier feedback and in less than a year have what we now call version 1.2 of the system.”

Soldiers and squads will use IVAS to gain a fuller understanding of their operational environment. Its enhanced low-light and thermal sensors improve target identification. IVAS integrates with ground and air platform sensors, allowing Soldiers to see outside vehicles before dismounting into a hazardous situation. IVAS provides 3D mapping and navigation capabilities and can ingest data from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles.

“[IVAS] complements what’s currently in the Army’s inventory while expanding close combat force capabilities by leveraging the digital architecture for shared awareness and computing at the edge,” said Lt. Col. Denny Dresch, Product Manager IVAS. “IVAS provides a first-person augmented reality perspective that enables the integrating of operational data such as routes and control measures into the person’s field of view.”

The system’s embedded training tool, the Squad Immersive Virtual Trainer (SiVT), also provides Soldiers objective-based scenarios and battle drills through holographic and mixed-reality imagery, giving units the flexibility to train their squads with minimal resources.

IVAS 1.2 builds and improves on the capabilities of previous versions of IVAS (IVAS 1.0 and IVAS 1.1). Specifically, IVAS 1.2 incorporates reliability upgrades, features an improved low-light sensor and introduces a new form factor with a lower profile heads-up display (HUD) with a distributed counterweight for improved user interface and comfort.

IVAS 1.2 also has the capability to attach to a combat helmet with a “hinged” device to allow Soldiers to raise and lower the display, similar to traditional night vision goggles.

IVAS 1.0 and IVAS 1.1 will primarily be issued to schoolhouses and operational units for use in training to support the Army’s Campaign of Learning. The close combat force will receive IVAS 1.2.

“Anybody who has had IVAS on, even the early versions, knows that this is a transformative capability and really has the potential to change the way that we fight,” said Gibbs. “This new version, 1.2, we think it’s really going to hit the mark in terms of what we need to put out there for our Soldiers to give them the situational awareness and the leap-ahead capability they need to stay ahead of our peers.”

The 20 prototypes will be featured at a User Assessment in August, during which two squads of Soldiers will use IVAS 1.2 to measure the system’s performance and ensure engineering efforts are on schedule and meeting design objectives.

Story by Frederick Shear, PEO Soldier