Raytheon has announced low-rate initial production (LRIP) of a new hyperspectral sensor system for unmanned aerial vehicles.
Called the Airborne Cueing and Exploitation System Hyperspectral (ACES HY), the side-mounted sensor will be installed on the MQ-1 Predator family.
"We completed development of that system last year," said Tom McDonald, director of the Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems division in El Segundo, California.
Nine of the systems will be produced in the initial LRIP batch, including spare parts. The system was tested on a DHC-8 Twin Otter.
"Because we're closer to the ground we can get higher quality image," said Tim Carry, vice president for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems.
"We're able to more accurately locate some of these emissions and details that we just can't see from space," he added.
Hyperspectral systems, which detect multiple wavelengths of light, are in high demand by the US military to detect buried improvised explosive devices. MQ-9s and other UAVs, equipped with hyperspectral sensors, are often used to protect columns of
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Source: Flight Daily News
