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New FLIR sensors do more with less
More capable gimbaled turrets unveiled at show are among the options to give operators multiple-payload options
FLIR Systems (booth 410) today
will unveil three new products
aimed at making its increasingly
broad range of gimbaled
sensors ever smaller and ever
more capable.
On display at its booth is the
all-new Cobalt 90, a 3.5in, 1.5lb,
gimbaled turret including a stabilized,
electro-optical camera; uncooled
infrared sensor; and laser
pointer, says product manager
Eric Balch.
By offering three payloads in
the same package, the Cobalt 90
should allow military operators
Insitu in place
for heavy fuel
milestone
Insitu (booth 648) is at the show
celebrating a program milestone
as its heavy fuel engine
(HFE) reaches more than 2,500
combat flight hours and more
than 300 shipboard sorties.
The ScanEagle UAS successfully
implemented the engine
aboard US Navy ships, flying
more than 11h daily. ScanEagle is
deployed aboard a USN destroyer
and completed deployment
aboard the Mahan and Milius.
“Since we met the challenge
and developed an HFE-capable
UAS for the Navy, the ScanEagle
was able to provide critical intelligence
aboard a US Navy vessel
which assisted in rescuing the
captain of a freight ship who was
taken hostage by pirates last
April,” says Insitu chief technology
officer Charlie Guthrie.
Used as a safer alternative
to auto gas, heavy fuel refers to
the kerosene-based diesel fuel
(JP5) commonly used in jet aircraft
engines. This technology,
which enhances overall engine
performance, was a critical requirement
of the Navy when deciding
to place the UAS on DDGclass
ships.
6 | Flight Daily News | August 11 2009
for micro unmanned
air vehicles to avoid a
difficult decision. Previous
sensors in this
size class included
only one payload,
forcing operators to
choose either a daylight
or infrared camera
for each mission,
Balch says.
The first prototypes
of the Cobalt 90 are
scheduled for delivery
next month, he adds.
Secondly, FLIR will also show
the seven-payload Cobalt
190 turret, a 17lb,
7.5in sensor for small
UAVs. Compared with
the previous Cobalt
195, the Cobalt 190 features
more payloads,
including four improved
cameras, laser
rangefinder, laser designator
and laser pointer,
Balch says.
“The [original
equipment manufacturers]
are very, very interested in
this type of sensor,” says Tom
Milligan, vice-president of business
development. “It allows
them to do a lot in a very small
package.”
The FLIR exhibit also includes
the updated Talon LD sensor,
which packages the previously
three-payload Talon with four additional
systems. A key improvement
for the 9in-diameter gimbaled
turret is the ability to
designate targets with a laser,
Balch says.
The Talon LD reuses the same
designator already packaged in
FLIR’s Britestar-2 system.
Selex Falco launch is on the right tracks
elex Galileo has completed a
Snew rail-launch test campaign
with its Falco tactical unmanned
air vehicle design.
Conducted at the Robonic Arctic
Test UAV Flight Centre at
Kemijarvi in Finland late last
month using a Robonic
MC2555LLR pneumatic launcher,
the campaign culminated with
“extreme” launches at high
ground speeds, says Selex.
These were “representative of
hot and high conditions in heavy
take-off weight configurations, as
can be expected in dual-payload
missions operated from hot plateaus,”
it adds.
Selex says the tests were in-
The US Naval Research Laboratory
has demonstrated a, battery-powered
unmanned air vehicle
that can fly about 7h after
being launched from a ship or
aircraft-based ejection tube.
An undisclosed customer in
the US military has plans to operate
the experimental fuel cell
(XFC) vehicle, the longest-endurance,
battery-powered UAV with
tube-launch capability, says designer
Richard Foche.
Gimbals: the 3.5in
turret will be ideal
for micro UAVs
Rail launch test
for Falco proved
successful
tended to gather launch statistics,
consolidate operational procedures
and expand the launch envelope
for the Falco. The UAV
has a maximum take-off weight of
926lb, including a 155lb payload,
and an operating endurance of
8-14h, says its manufacturer.
“The planned launches were
Inside the tube, the 7.7ft-long
UAV’s 10ft wingspan is folded to a
diameter of 18.5in. After launch, an
upper wing and a lower wing rotate
on a single pivot to form an “Xshape”
with the fuselage at the
center. After the wings are fully extended,
two wingtip panels are released,
with the airflow pressure
locking them into position.
The UAV, on display at booth
256, completed a 6h flight in June
that was cut short by a lightning
all performed in short sequence,
thanks to the reduced launcher
recovery time and to the consolidated
pre-launch procedures,”
resulting in a time of less than
45min being required between
the UAV landing and being
launched on its next sortie, the
company says.
Battery-powered XFC completes extra-long flight
storm, Foche says. The aircraft
should have enough battery
power on board now to complete
a 7h flight, with more expected.
“I believe there is growth potential
for maybe 12h,” Foche says.
With a total 16.5lb system
weight, the XFC can carry a payload
of up to 2.5lb, Foche says.
The UAV is being considered for
intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance,
and electronic
warfare missions, he says.
flightglobal.com/auvsi
Selex
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