FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Aug 21, 2006
Demonstration Marks Critical Milestone in Two-Year Cooperative Research Effort
SAN DIEGO - 21 August 2006 - General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI), a leading manufacturer of unmanned aircraft and high-resolution surveillance and radar imaging systems, along with its research partner BAE Systems, today announced that it has successfully completed a demonstration of the Lynx® Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) in a reconnaissance pod flown on a U.S. Air Force F-16 at Eglin Air Force Base (AFB) in Florida.
“We are excited about the teamwork displayed by BAE Systems and GA-ASI in developing and demonstrating a highly effective ISR [Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance] capability for the U.S. Air Force,” said Linden P. Blue, president, Reconnaissance Systems Group, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. “A total of 74 images were collected and processed by the team, including a mix of high-resolution spot images, as well as wide field-of-view images at various resolutions.”
The flight demonstration is a critical milestone in a two-year cooperative research effort between GA-ASI’s Reconnaissance Systems Group and BAE Systems. The ultimate goal of the research is to provide the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Air National Guard with the capability to “fuse” the products of two high-resolution sensors integrated into a single reconnaissance pod. The fused product is designed to provide the Warfighter with target detection and geo-location benefits that exceed the capability of each sensor used singly.
“The successful integration of GA-ASI’s Lynx SAR with our reconnaissance pod builds on the capabilities we have been developing as a leader in the transformational market and in situational awareness,” said David Hails, BAE Systems vice president for Imaging and Surveillance. BAE Systems currently builds and sustains the Theater Airborne Reconnaissance System (TARS) in an identical pod. “TARS is of great value to the Air Force and Air National Guard, and our current effort advances the next generation of sensor technology to the Warfighter,” Hails added.
GA-ASI plans to build upon the success of this flight with a combined SAR and Electro-Optical/Infrared (EO/IR) camera data collection at Eglin AFB. This data will be processed using state-of-the-art sensor fusion algorithms developed by BAE Systems, with results expected to be published in late summer.
About GA-ASI
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc., an affiliate of General Atomics, provides comprehensive solutions for military and commercial applications worldwide. The company’s Aircraft Systems Group is a leading designer and manufacturer of proven, reliable unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), including Predator®, Predator B and Sky WarriorTM, and provides pilot training and support services for UAS field operations. The Aircraft Systems Group has been awarded the SDD phase of the U.S. Army’s ER/MP UAS Program and is currently developing Sky Warrior as the next-generation Army UAS, featuring a heavy-fuel engine, triple-redundant avionics and increased armament capability. The Reconnaissance Systems Group designs, manufactures and integrates the Magnum (Raptor View) high-resolution EO/IR and Lynx SAR/GMTI sensor systems for both manned and unmanned aircraft. Leading the industry to new levels of performance, reliability and operational capability since its establishment in 1993, the company has expanded the acceptance and application of UAS within the United States and among allied forces around the globe. GA-ASI is committed to providing immediately deployable transformational technology for military operations, weapons systems and civil missions. For more information, please visit www.ga-asi.com.
About BAE Systems
BAE Systems is the premier trans-Atlantic defense and aerospace company, delivering a full range of products and services for air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, information technology solutions and customer support services. BAE Systems, with more than 100,000 employees worldwide, had 2005 sales that exceeded $28 billion. For more information, visit www.baesystems.com.
Predator and Lynx are registered trademarks and Sky Warrior is a trademark of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.
For more information contact:
Kimberly Kasitz
Public Relations Manager
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.
+1.858.455.2294