Tactical Tailor

Archive for the ‘Sensors’ Category

Smaller, Safer, and Easy To Use: EasyOne Drone LiDAR

Friday, May 12th, 2023

Company that Launched The World’s First Quadcopter Drone Announces The New Standard For Drone LiDAR

May 9, 2023

Denver, CO- From the floor of Xponential, drone surveying pioneer Microdrones announced an entirely new drone platform built around the demands of geospatial professionals. Vivien Heriard-Dubreuil, CEO of Microdrones explains “We’re excited to announce this new drone platform that prioritizes three key areas: transportability, a simple control interface and ease of use.”

Xponential participants crowded the Microdrones booth for a closer look. “This is EasyOne,” said Frank Darmayan, company CTO, as he pointed to the display. “It fits in a case that’s about two and a half feet long and a foot and a half wide and deep. The mdCockpit mission planning screen is fully integrated into the RC. All sensitive onboard electronics are designed, manufactured and assembled in Germany. It’s just as powerful and capable as our legacy systems but it’s even easier to use.”

EasyOne is an optimized and fully integrated drone system that will provide the lifting power to carry Microdrones LiDAR and photogrammetry surveying equipment. It improves upon the company’s legacy drones in three key areas:

EasyOne is Easier to Transport.

EasyOne features a significantly smaller operational form factor with the same payload capacity of the md4-1000 platform. In addition to a smaller operational form factor, the EasyOne packs down even smaller, fitting the drone, remote, charger, two batteries and the payload into a protective storage case that’s small and light enough to bring anywhere.

EasyOne has an Improved RC Controller and mdCockpit Interface.

EasyOne will feature an entirely new controller design that provides an enhanced user interface and safety features.

• Combined device and integrated remote control- the RC and tablet are one integrated control unit.

• FPV available directly on the remote

EasyOne is easy to use.

Heriard-Dubreuil explains, “We want to make it even easier for geospatial professionals to adopt this technology and make it a part of their daily work. We offer complete systems to plan flights, fly data collection in the field, process data and then visualize it for better decision making. You are getting a fully integrated package from one company; it includes the drone, RC, mdCockpit flight planning software, survey LiDAR+ imagery payload, LP360 data processing software, workflow, training, and support. EasyOne is the complete package.”

Vincent Legrand, Vice President of Global Sales adds, “Plus, as part of the EasyOne lineup customers can take advantage of the all-new Easy Replacement Program. Should you have an accident or problem in the field, this program gets you up and running with an EasyOne replacement in a timely manner.”

True to its promise, Microdrones offers fully integrated systems and it launches the new aircraft platform in North America with three fully integrated LiDAR sensor options to meet your needs.

EasyOneLiDARUHR+

EasyOneLiDARUHR or UHR Lite

Designed and assembled in the USA and Germany, Microdrones technology, firmware, software and workflow developed and refined since 2006 is used with the new airframe to provide:

• new autopilot integrated into a single board- this means less cabling, less weight, more compactness and less risk of connection-related failures and better electromagnetic compatibility.

• Additional sensors to improve safety and awareness

• mdCockpit software ecosystem for mission planning and control directly integrated into the RC

• EasyOne is certified as a “Remote Identification Unmanned Aircraft” following FAA 14 CFR Part 89.

• payload connection/communication quick-connect

• real time terrain follow

According to Legrand, “Responsible sourcing is becoming increasingly important for many of our government customers. For these institutions, we will soon offer NDAA-compliant EasyOne systems that take our responsible sourcing to an even higher level, with RC and sensor sourcing options that are exclusively NDAA compliant. We are in process for Green UAS Certification.”

To learn more about these new EasyOne systems and their capabilities, visit the links above or schedule time to talk with your Microdrones sales team by completing this form.

Cansel Partners with GeoCue to Offer TrueView Drone LiDAR and LP360 Processing Software

Thursday, April 27th, 2023

Canada’s leading provider of field technology solutions, Cansel, and advanced drone LiDAR innovator GeoCue join forces to deliver high-quality geospatial solutions across Canada.

Burnaby, BC, Canada – Cansel, a leading technology solutions provider for industries including engineering, surveying, construction, and utilities, today announced a partnership with GeoCue, a global provider of 3D LiDAR imaging sensors and geospatial software.

Now as a distributor of GeoCue, Cansel will offer the full product line of TrueView LiDAR 3D imaging sensors and LP360 processing software throughout Canada. TrueView is an innovative drone LiDAR and photogrammetry solution integrated into lightweight payloads, allowing for fast, easily automated generation of true 3D colourized point clouds, oblique imagery, and orthophotos from a single drone flight. LP360 is an advanced desktop LIDAR software package that makes easy work of extracting information and generating deliverables in an intuitive GIS environment.

“Cansel is committed to providing our customers with the highest quality, leading-edge technology,” said Martin Trudelle, Cansel’s CEO and President. “That is why we’ve partnered with GeoCue, a company that shares our commitment to excellence. We know that our customers can trust that GeoCue’s products and software meet our rigorous standards, and we’re confident that this partnership will help us exceed their expectations.”

According to Vincent Legrand, Vice President, Global Sales at GeoCue, his company builds partnerships with distributors who have high standards of excellence.  “With Cansel’s proven track record in technology solutions, we can both maintain our focus on innovation and growth while achieving superior results for our valued customers.”

Mike Hogan, Cansel’s 3D Reality Capture Segment Manager, leads the charge of helping clients capture, transform, and manage data. “The products and software available from GeoCue are a very good fit for our surveying customers,” Hogan said. “Together with the support of our professional services team, we’ll help our customers onboard these products, add them into their workflows, and employ these tools to grow their business.”

Kris Kelly, the GeoCue regional sales manager for Canada, is excited about the opportunity to grow the TrueView and LP360 footprint throughout Canada and California. “Cansel’s team of geospatial professionals has years of surveying and engineering experience,” said Kelly. “They also have a deep understanding of the applications for GeoCue’s LiDAR technology and software. This makes them an ideal partner to reach new customers and meet their geospatial needs.”

More information about the TrueView product line and LP360 software is now available on the Cansel website. Cansel is also a Gold sponsor for this year’s LiDAR CANEX, a virtual B2B event matching reality capture lidar vendors with practicing 3D professionals from Canada and beyond. TrueView products GeoCue will be featured in presentations and workshops for the event on April 25th and 26th.

Learn more at www.cansel.ca.

SPIE 2023: SCD to Launch the SWIFT-EI Solution – a World-First “Two-In-One” SWIR-based Event and Standard Imaging Detector, for a Broad Range of Applications

Wednesday, April 26th, 2023

The revolutionary image detector will enable SWIR capabilities for SWaP and large distribution defense applications, such as man-portable systems, weapon sights, autonomous or semi-autonomous platforms, drone payloads, laser-guided weapons, as well for commercial applications, machine vision and industrial applications.

SPIE, Orlando, FL, May 2-4, Stand 813

SCD Launches Revolutionary SWIR Detector for Defense Applications.

24 April 2023- SCD, a global leader in the development and manufacture of cooled and uncooled infrared detectors and high-power laser diodes, announces the launch of its latest product, the SWIFT-EI. This groundbreaking SWIR detector is designed as a very low Size Weight and Power (SWaP) and low-cost VGA format 10-micron pitch SWIR detector. It will be showcased at the upcoming SPIE exhibition in Orlando, FL, May 2-4.

The SWIFT-EI is the world’s first SWIR detector integrating event-based imaging capabilities, making it a revolutionary addition to the defense and industrial sectors. Its advanced FPA level detection capabilities enable tactical forces to detect multiple laser sources, laser-spots, Hostile Fire Indication (HFI), and much more. Its state-of-the-art ROIC imager technology offers two parallel video channels in one sensor – a standard imaging SWIR video channel, and a very high frame event imaging channel.

The SWIFT-EI offers SWIR imaging that supports day and low-light scenarios, enabling 24/7 situational awareness, better atmospheric penetration, and a low-cost SWIR image for tactical applications. Furthermore, its event-based imaging channel provides advanced capabilities, such as laser event spot detections, multi-laser spot LST capabilities, and SWIR event-based imaging, broadening the scope of target detection and classification.

The SWIFT-EI also opens up new capacities for machine vision applications in fields such as production line sorting machines, smart agriculture, and more, where analysis of high-level SWIR images is required for automatic machine decision-making. The SWIFT EI enables a full frame rate of more than 1200 Hz, which is essential for machine vision and machine AI algorithms.

Kobi Zaushnizer, CEO of SCD, elaborates on the company’s latest innovation: “SCD is proud to launch the SWIFT-EI – the world’s first SWIR imager to enable event-based imaging. This new product is part of our value to be ‘always a step ahead’ and our promise to our customers to ‘be the first to see’. The SWIFT-EI event-based imaging enables the next generation of AI-based systems, offering the multi-domain battlespace multi-spectral infrared imaging for better situational awareness, advanced automatic target detection and calcifications, and target handoff across platforms and forces, while increasing warrior lethality. It also enables Hostile Fire Indication (HFI) detection, and all of this at a price point that makes it possible for SWIR cameras to be integrated into high-distribution applications, such as weapon sights and clip-ons, drones, man-portable target designators, and more. The advanced detector is already being delivered to initial customers around the world, and we expect to see a significant production ramp-up in the coming months.”

IVAS’ Production and Fielding Remain on Track

Tuesday, March 14th, 2023

Over the past year, the Army tested, evaluated and refined the Integrated Visual Augmentation System’s (IVAS) capabilities in a manner that will result in improved systems being incrementally fielded to Soldiers over the next several years – IVAS 1.0, IVAS 1.1 and IVAS 1.2 variants.        

Last June, IVAS completed its Operational Test, during which Soldiers trained on IVAS 1.0 systems in company-level missions and live-fire exercises. The Army determined that IVAS demonstrated several transformational capabilities, but three areas prevented the systems from achieving Soldier acceptance:  reliability, low-light sensor performance and form factor.  

The Army and its industry partner, Microsoft, used the lessons learned from testing to address concerns and adjust its fielding plan.  To specifically address reliability, in November 2022 Microsoft and the Army incorporated a new software release into IVAS 1.0 resulting in a more stable and reliable user experience.  Software improvement is a continuous effort that will transcend all current and future versions of IVAS.

IVAS 1.0 systems will be fielded to training and doctrine units next year to support the Army’s Campaign of Learning, an ongoing process that gathers and incorporates user feedback from user studies, user assessments, Soldier Touch Points and operational demonstrations to improve IVAS’ performance.

IVAS 1.1 upgrades reliability and features an improved low-light sensor that performs comparable to the PVS-14 night vision goggles. These systems will be delivered and fielded in Fiscal Year (FY) 2024.  

The Army awarded an IVAS 1.2 technology insertion effort to Microsoft in December 2022, with the anticipation of moving to production in late FY2024 and fielding to operational units beginning as early as 4Q FY2025. The majority of the close combat force will receive IVAS 1.2; this version features an improved form factor in addition to reliability and low-light sensor upgrades, as well as a lower profile heads-up display (HUD) with distributed counterweight for improved user interface and comfort.  

In recent exercises the Army has shown a number of different ways IVAS can be used on the battlefield, ranging from ingesting video and data from small Unmanned Aerial Systems to integrating with ground and air platform sensors to provide Soldiers the ability to see what the platform drivers, commanders and pilots see before dismounting into a hazardous situation.

The Army remains fully committed to IVAS.  Despite some revisions to the fielding timeline, the developmental process for IVAS will result in fielding several years ahead of standard acquisition programs.  

By PEO Soldier PAO

Enforce Tac 23 – Profile Equipment

Wednesday, March 8th, 2023

Profile Equipment is a Dutch company which offers a variety of Israeli technology like the TrekAce, a wearable command and control device which provides haptic feedback to the wearer which means less time staring at the screen of an EUD.

HENSOLDT to Strengthen CAE Aviation Surveillance Fleet with High-Performance Radar

Saturday, February 25th, 2023

PrecISR multi-mission radar offers unique detection and tracking capabilities

Taufkirchen/Germany, 22 February 2023 – Sensor solutions specialist HENSOLDT will supply another multi-mission surveillance radar PrecISR™ to one of the biggest airborne surveillance providers, CAE Aviation, Luxembourg. CAE Aviation, which operates a large fleet of surveillance aircraft, has decided to renew its trust in HENSOLDT by awarding them with a contract to deliver another PrecISR™1000. This is the second order, after HENSOLDT having delivered the first PrecISR™ in 2021.

PrecISR™ radars are currently operated by experienced ISR operators from CAE Aviation in challenging areas of operations for various types of missions and for very demanding end-users.

PrecISR™ offers impressive Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) / Ground Moving Target Indicator (GMTI) capabilities, enabling its operators to detect and track, in real time, a very large diversity of small moving targets of interest (troops, convoys, suspicious vehicles, etc..). PrecISR™ technology ensures a reliable and accurate surveillance of static and moving threats, despite adverse weather conditions which might obstruct the EO/IR sensor results.

“We feel really proud that CAE Aviation keeps investing in new ISR capabilities by maintaining its trust in our plug-and-play high performance radar”, said Pierre Marquis, Sales Director Airborne ISR Radars at HENSOLDT.

“The versatility of the Hensoldt PrecISR™ 1000 radar allows us to meet the needs of our most demanding customers, regardless of the mission profiles we perform “, said David Attali, CEO at CAE Aviation.

PrecISR™ is the right solution for an operational and battle proven multi-mission radar system. Because of its compact design, the airborne platform integration of PrecISR™ is simplified significantly compared to other radars.

The superior performance of PrecISR™ enables airborne operators to accomplish large area surveillance in one flight pass and get top-notched results in real time up to 370km range. Even in the most difficult environmental conditions and sea states, PrecISR™ operators will take advantage of an unrivalled level of situational awareness with significant flight cost savings.

General Robotics Showcases New Integrations at IDEX/NAVDEX 2023

Tuesday, February 21st, 2023

Moshav Beit Nehemya, Israel, 20 February 2023:


170M DETECTOR USV

General Robotics, Israel’s leader in Light Weight RCWS Systems and tactical robotics, highlights advanced integrations of the company’s systems over platforms from several manufacturers. The systems are displayed by several leading integrators participating in the IDEX defense exhibition and NAVDEX naval expo opening today in Abu Dhabi.

SHARK – Naval Light & Smart RCWS

On display is the SHARK, a remotely controlled weapon system (RCWS) mounting an M2HB .50 machine gun. SHARK is installed over the 170M DETECTOR, an autonomous vessel developed by the ADSB company and IAI. (Stand 05-A05)

Built as a rugged, robust, seaworthy system, it is versatile enough to operate remotely on a cluttered deck, scoring direct hits at a sea state up to 3, where the platform and targets constantly move. With SHARK onboard, operators can benefit from advanced automation, stabilization, and platform integration functions such as the intuitive ‘Point & Shoot™ technology’. The AI-driven fire control runs a target prediction algorithm (TPA) to align the projectile’s path and the target’s expected location and points the weapon in that direction. Only then is a burst fired. This technique has demonstrated a hit accuracy of over 80 percent.


Pitbull RCWS mounting the Sig Sauer MG338

PITBULL RCWS

The latest version of the PITBULL lightweight RCWS is shown in two configurations. One is shown by the Abu Dhabi company EDT, mounted on Plasan’s ATEMM, a ground robotic vehicle that can be deployed as an unattended weapon system. The ATEMM on display carries a stack of loitering weapons, self-protected by General Robotics’ PITBULL RCWS mounting the .50 CAL H2MG. (Stand 11-C07). The PITBULL is also displayed with the new MG338 at Sig Sauer’s Stand 02-B14.


PITBULL RCWS mounted on Plasan’s ATEMM.


Teamwork – DOGO and CHAMELEON.

Robotic Teamwork

The teamwork of two operational robotic systems developed by General Robotics is also explored. DOGO, a small tracked armed reconnaissance robot optimized for operations indoors, is now geared to work with Chameleon as a marsupial robot carried on DOGO’s back or thrown up to a higher floor or roof to enhance situational awareness and extend communications link. DOGO and CHAMELEON are on display at International Golden Group (IGG) at Stand 04-C20


PITBULL provides the hard kill element of UAE’s Resource Industries’ C-UAS suite.

PITBULL Anti Drone

Another version of PITBULL highlights the system’s anti-drone capabilities. PITBULL can be equipped with electronic effectors from D-FEND Solutions or Droneshield for soft-kill or employ a firearm with its sophisticated automatic target recognition, tracking, and advanced target prediction capabilities for hard kill. Resource Industries (Booth CP-050) shows the PITBULL Anti-Drone in this configuration.

HENSOLDT Will Present Its Full Range of Radar Systems at IDEX 2023

Wednesday, February 15th, 2023

Abu Dhabi / Taufkirchen, Germany, 14 February 2023 – One of HENSOLDT’s core competences is detecting threats and protecting end users. At IDEX 2023, HENSOLDT presents its broad range of sensor solutions for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations as well as sensors to improve the safety and operational effectiveness.

“We are interconnecting all essential sensor technologies to provide our customers with information superiority at any time,” said Russell Gould, Head of International Business Development at HENSOLDT. “We thus create the basis for decisions of political leaders and military commanders, while also contributing to the success of a mission and protecting armed forces in operations.”

HENSOLDT is well-represented in the market for radar systems, optronics, and electronic protection systems. The TRML-4D is the latest member of its C-band (NATO G-band) radar family. It is designed to be used as a remote-controlled mobile unit for effective ground-based air defence and is already field proven. As a software-defined sensor system, it caters to future viability and flexibility in operation.

The COBRA Counter Battery Radar is designed to detect small cross-section targets across the entire battlefield and can also classify ammunition types and firing modes. In less than 2 minutes, more than 40 six-gun batteries can be located and reported to a higher command. In parallel to the battery location function, COBRA can be tasked to perform friendly fire registration. The radar is contained in a single cross-country wheeled vehicle assuring high mobility with rapid deployment and decamp times.

Quadome is a dual-mode, multi-mission surveillance radar for naval air- and surface-surveillance, providing naval forces and maritime security authorities with unprecedented situational awareness and extremely short reaction times. It features state-of-the-art technology and is software-defined, thus being a future-proof solution with an extended operational lifetime. Quadome builds on the reputation and track record of HENSOLDT’s naval tactical radar family, which has been very successful and has sold over 100 units over a 25-year timespan. Equipped with the latest technology, Quadome provides rapid response and high precision, at an excellent price-performance ratio.

HENSOLDT will also be showing its ARGOS-II HD multi-sensor gimbal for use in airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions. It can be equipped with high resolution HD infrared and daylight cameras in addition to laser rangefinders and laser designators.

Visit HENSOLDT at IDEX 2023 on the German Pavilion Stand 08-B13.

www.hensoldt.net