The US Army is exploring using a North Eastern Aeronautical (Neany) Arrow unmanned air vehicle to support follow-on deployment of the Flight Landata Inc "Buckeye" large format airborne imaging camera to Iraq and Afghanistan.
The camera, which produces three dimensional digital images with a resolution of one centimetre, was first deployed into Iraq in November 2004 aboard a manned aircraft. The system is now being integrated into a Neany Arrow UAV under a joint Army-Navy funded effort with first flight tests to commence next month.
A nominal target of operational deployment by March 2008 is being pursued says Neany president Stephen Steptoe, depending on trials programme outcomes.
An undisclosed value contracts for Buckeye integration was awarded to Neany eight months ago. The modified Arrow trials UAV and a combined ground control and image processing station were displayed at last weeks Unmanned Systems North America exhibition in Washington.
Arrow is derived from the Titan Aircraft Tornado 912 kitplane with development of the UAV version funded by US Naval Air Systems Command in 2003 on behalf of the US Special Operations Command. Final platform development for the type was completed in May this year says Steptoe.
The complete Buckeye payload weighs 235lbs and required some reduction in fuel loading to allow for the weight to be accommodated by the aircraft. That reduced the available fuel load by 30 gallons from a previous capacity of 87 gallons says Steptoe, but with the air vehicle still able to demonstrate effective endurance needed to support the planned surveillance mission in Iraq.
The Buckeye camera shoots overlapping digital images directly below its carriage aircraft with these creating stereoscopic pairs. The system ground station processes these digitally into a 3D format with integrated GPS coordinate data. The fused product allows the image to be viewed from any point within that terrain. In the case of urban surveillance this allows a virtual walk-through capability for military personnel ahead of mission being conducted. The sensor was originally developed by Flight Landata on behalf of the US Army Engineer Research and Development Centre.
Neany would operate the Arrow-Buckeye combination as a contracted service says Steptoe. Neany already has personnel deployed in Iraq as a support provider for SOCOM-owned Navmar Tiger Shark UAVs.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
