The Tamam division of Israel Aerospace Industries is adding day and night observation capabilities to helicopters used during low-intensity conflicts and activities to prevent drug smuggling.
Tamam general manger Shaul Shahar says unnamed clients in Latin America have requested capabilities, and that the company has so far installed payloads on Bell 212s and Mil Mi-17s for two users.
"We had to cope with the effect of the helicopter's vibrations on the payload's output, but the results are very good," he says.
By adding new observation capabilities to the aircraft, small groups of soldiers are able to detect and identify hostile forces or drug smugglers and confront them immediately.
According to Shahar, the market for day/night optical payloads for helicopters to support such missions is growing fast. "More and more countries understand the needs, and we are involved in some programmes aimed to enable this capability," he says.
Source: Flight International
