The new R440 is a lightweight, sourceless Radioisotope Identification Device that can be operated with one hand and is IP67-rated. Not only does the 2×2 NaI detector deliver sensitive and fast detection, but it also provides accurate identification during secondary screening. The new 360° EasyFinder Mode expedites decision-making to keep you safe by pinpointing the exact location of the source.
This purchase is a pretty big deal as the Prox Dynamics PD-100 Black Hornet, Nano class UAV gains traction, including for such programs as the US Army’s Soldier Borne Sensor effort. You can see it here in this Army commercial.
WILSONVILLE, OR — (Marketwired) — 11/30/16 — FLIR Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: FLIR) announced today that it has acquired Prox Dynamics AS, a leading developer and manufacturer of nano-class unmanned aerial systems (UAS) for military and para-military intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance applications, for approximately $134 million in cash.
Based in Oslo, Norway and founded in 2007 by pioneers in nano helicopter technologies, Prox Dynamics develops, manufactures, and distributes aerial sensors that are revolutionarily small, light, and covert surveillance systems. Prox Dynamics’ Personal Reconnaissance System (PRS) features their Black Hornet aerial sensor and a hand controller, a system that is pocket sized and hand-launched by a soldier in the field, enabling a significant advantage in situational awareness and mission planning. The Black Hornet aerial sensor utilizes FLIR’s Lepton micro thermal camera, visible spectrum cameras, advanced low-power rotor technology, and proprietary software for flight control, stabilization, and communications. The Black Hornet helicopter is one of the lightest, stealthiest, and safest drones in the market, offering a highly advanced, lifesaving surveillance solution for traditional military forces and special operations forces. Weighing less than one ounce, the Black Hornet helicopter can fly for up to 25 minutes at line-of-sight distances of up to one mile.
The addition of the Prox Dynamics business will augment FLIR’s Surveillance segment by extending FLIR’s Airborne sensor product line and fully leveraging Lepton technology. FLIR intends to invest in optimizing the PRS platform to further enhance the range, cost, flexibility, and performance of the system. The Prox Dynamics team will benefit from close interaction with FLIR’s thermal sensor development group as well as the ability to leverage FLIR’s brand, distribution, and customer support infrastructure to better serve a global base of users. The business will become FLIR’s Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) line of business operating within the Surveillance segment.
“This acquisition adds a unique unmanned aerial systems capability to our portfolio. The Prox Dynamics team has created a highly-differentiated solution, incorporating our Lepton sensor, for advanced intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance that fits well with our vision for growth for our Surveillance segment,” said Andy Teich, President and CEO of FLIR. “The team at Prox Dynamics operates with a commercial mindset, which is a great fit for FLIR’s ‘commercially developed, military qualified,’ or ‘CDMQ,’ operating philosophy. We are excited to welcome the Prox Dynamics team to FLIR and look forward to working together to further advance this remarkable system capability.”
FLIR anticipates the business and related transaction costs will be approximately $0.01 dilutive to its 2016 earnings per share.
ADS took a look at one of the issues that continues to face deployed troops; access to C4ISR feeds. They assembled a team of industry partners including Granite Tactical Vehicles, FLIR, Harris and SYNEXXUS to create a C4ISR Vehicle Concept Demonstrator.
Using COTS items, this team has been able to streamline the way Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and and Reconnaissance data is delivered and displayed to the personnel in the vehicle. It’s now easier to see, interpret and share.
FLIR offers these enhancements to the Demonstrator:
FLIR Systems DV/SA provides Driver Visual Enhancement and Situational Awareness has been used on both wheeled and tracked platforms. It offers the following suite of options:
• Dual Sensor with both thermal and day cameras (enabling blending)
• Single Sensor with thermal camera.
• Cameras with motorized protective lid and cleaning brush.
• 55 degree field of view for increased performance.
• 90 degree field of view for wide angle situational awareness.
FLIR Systems TALON:
• High-performance multi-sensor thermal imaging system in a compact, lightweight 9” package.
• This system offers up to six simultaneous payloads including: IR, Color, CCD, EMCCD, Laser Pointer or Laser Illuminator, LRF and IMU.
• The FLIR Systems TALON offers operators a continuous zoom 640 x 480 infrared IR camera and 2 EO options (color and color/ EMCCD combination) which permit high resolution imagery both day and night
Harris is well known for providing communications systems and the C4ISR Vehicle Concept Demonstrator is no different with the integration of the AN/PRC-117G.
• JTRS Certified, NSA Type-1 Certified, JITC Certified for Narrowband Interoperability Assessment and compliance with DAMA standards
• Includes SINCGARS, Havequick II, VHF/UHF AM and FM, High Performance Waveform (HPW), MIL-STD-188-181B SATCOM.
• Uses the Harris Adaptive Networking Wideband Waveform (ANW2) for high bandwidth data operation and is designed for future upgrade to the Soldier Radio Waveform (SRW)
If FLIR is the eyes of the system and Harris the ears, SYNEXXUS provides the central nervous system.
The ELECTRONIC KEEL® V5.3 is a modular, data/video distribution architecture, designed for rugged reliability with open standard industry inputs. The EKEEL’s open operating system and open published API and GUI software provide the operator with access to platform sensors, radios, applications and other government furnished equipment (GFE) or customer furnished equipment (CFE) with single button actuation and intuitive interface. All platform sub-systems are able to be viewed, controlled and shared from a single interface through one or more independently controlled and simultaneously viewed resistive-touch, multi-function displays. Any government provided software and applications can be used in conjunction with or as an alternative to the system’s software suite.
• Combat-Proven, TRL-9 Rated Digital Backbone
• Operationally Deployed in Theater Since 2009
• Modular, Open Hardware and Software Interfaces
• Access, Control and Network All Platform GFE, Apps and Systems
• Increased Situational Awareness, Decreased SWaP
In this ADStv video, representatives from each of the vendors discuss the capabilities they bring to this project.
With the integration of these different, yet complimentary, capabilities into an upgraded, armored vehicle platform, the ADS C4ISR Vehicle Concept Demonstrator has shown a system that doesn’t suffer from the band-aid fixes that have plagued the legacy HMMWV program over the years. The interior is streamlined and future capabilities can more easily be integrated into the architecture. This is certainly a viable path forward to refit the existing HMMWV fleet with new capabilities.
For more information visit www.ADSinc.com.
During Warrior Expo, ADS Inc exhibited a new concept demonstrator that integrates C4ISR technologies directly into a lightly armored vehicle based on the legacy HMMWV. While the demonstrator is packed with a variety of Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and and Reconnaissance capabilities, it would mean nothing if you couldn’t protect the men and women inside the vehicle. That’s where project partner Granite Tactical Vehicles steps in. They’ve developed a set of five upgrade packages for the HMMWV. The High Mobility, Multi-purpose Wheeled Vehicle has been with us for over 30 years. Over this time, they’ve applied a variety of fixes to the vehicle, but fundamentally there 25 deficiencies in the design.
Over time, the HMMWV evolved from this simple replacement for the Jeep to an armored battle taxi. Along the way, it became overweight and underpowered.
Engineers at Granite Tactical Vehicles have created five kits to enhance the vehicle’s capabilities:
1) GTV’s proprietary up-armored crew capsule offers 360 degree blast / ballistic protection with underbody armor and a V-Hull. That V-Hull is one of the most effective features to mitigate the effects of IEDs.
2) Upgraded brake calipers and larger rotors, upgraded shocks, spring mounts, lift kit (centered front differential allowing 4 identical half-shafts), frame enhancements and suspension to support up-armored capsule and return vehicle to expected mobility.
3) Upgraded turbo-charged 6.5 liter diesel engine.
4) Upgraded 4L85 transmission, which is critical to overcoming torque deficiency of standard Humvee.
5) Upgraded cooling / radiator system to ensure larger engine is efficiently and effectively cooled during operation.
In fact, application of these five kits, not only enhanced the capabilities of the HMMWV (of which we have thousands still in service) but also weighs in at 200 lbs below the current UpArmored variant. As funding for programs like the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle are reprogrammed for other needs, upgrades such as this, to existing equipment are a great way to extend their lifecycle as well as enhance capabilities.
Justin Boyle of ADS goes over the five upgrade kits for the HMMWV in this short video from ADStv.
For more information visit www.ADSinc.com.
During Warrior Expo, ADS Inc exhibited a new concept demonstrator that integrates C4ISR technologies directly into a lightly armored vehicle based on the legacy uparmored HMMWV. For those unfamiliar, C4ISR includes Command, Control, Communications, Computers as well as Intelligence, Surveillance and and Reconnaissance capabilities. It’s not that this is a dedicated command and control vehicle or even a scout vehicle but rather, ADS recognizes that over the last 10 years, there has been a boom in the deployment of new C4ISR technologies. The real hurdle is delivering this disparate information to the end user and then, making sense of all of it.
ADS teamed with Granite Tactical Vehicles, FLIR, Harris and SYNEXXUS. Everything here is Commercial-Off-The-Shelf. It’s just been configured in such a way that the whole is greater than the sum of its individual components.
If you were at Warrior East, I hope you had a chance to check out this vehicle. If not, ADStv created three video segments that we will use to show what it’s all about. Below, John Fristachi from ADS of ADS discusses the project.
To learn more contact ADS Inc.
The FLIR ONE is a case for the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5S that offers FLIR’s thermal imaging technology in a smartphone-sized package. It has a scene range temperature of 32°F-212°F (O°C-100°C), an operating temperature of 32°F-113 °F (O°C-45°C), and is able to detect temperature differences as small as 0.18 °F (0.1°C). The FLIR ONE utilizes a dual camera set up to achieve thermal function. The core is a FLIR Lepton thermal camera. The visible camera is VGA. This allows for FLIR MSX blending via the app which generates and overlays outlines to help the user identify what they’re looking at.
The FLIR ONE’s companion app – FLIR ONE MX – provides a simple and intuitive user interface that makes it easy to collect and share thermal images. It can load captured images directly to the camera roll and allows users to easily share on social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, along with other features.
The FLIR ONE houses its own battery source, good for more than 2 hours of continuous use. It can also boost the battery life of the iPhone5 and 5S by up to 50 percent.
The FLIR ONE will be available starting Spring 2014. The FLIR ONE for select Android models will be available later in 2014. It will be available in three colors: Space Grey, White, and Gold.
After reading our critique of Gizmodo’s FLIR review, Everyday Tactical decided to check the item out for a more appropriate review. Check it out…
everydaytactical.wordpress.com
Go over and read the FLIR Scout TS-Series review on Gizmodo. If you don’t, this article won’t make sense.
Over the past couple of years FLIR has been trying to commercialize their IR sensor technology. FLIR builds a solid product and their military and commercial grade products are everywhere. Considering what you are getting, their personal vision products are fairly inexpensive, and the resolution is pretty good. So good in fact, that Gizmodo’s reviewers came to the amazing conclusion that, “IT LETS YOU SEE IN THE DARK, DUDE.” Amazingly, they were dumbfounded by the notion that although field replaceable, a screw driver was required to change the batteries even though the unit is waterproof. What’s more, they were a bit put off that the FLIR used up batteries even though it only uses 4 x AA.
“You need a screwdriver to remove the batteries, which is screwy because a) They’re supposedly “field-replaceable” and b) The thing eats batteries like they’re covered in sugar and sitting in a pie dish.”
I have to admit I read Gizmodo. But what do hipsters do when you give them military grade hardware? Why, they use it to photograph themselves urinating of course. Score one for the marketing machine at FLIR. It’s the weekend so I’ll give you my opinion raw. When I read this article, I formed this image in my mind’s eye that involves a monkey violating a football.
Bottom line, civilians are absolutely amazed by shit military folks take for granted. Conclusion? They need to man the fuck up and serve their country instead of reading about it on hipster websites.
-EG
