EADS to begin incorporating miniaturized IR cameras in UAVs

APRIL 12--The European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS; Amsterdam, The Netherlands; www.eads.net) has announced that it will be incorporating a miniaturized thermal infrared (IR) camera from Cedip Infrared Systems (Croissy-Beaubourg, France; www.cedip-infrared.com) in its new Tracker UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) system. The design of the Tracker UAV system (known in France as DRAC) is expected to improve reconnaissance capabilities for civil and military authorities. The user-friendly system, which can be prepared for operation quickly, offers excellent flight characteristics and robustness even under extreme operational conditions.

Tracker is a tactical drone with hand-launchability for missions at close range. The system delivers state-of-the-art reconnaissance and surveillance, close-range attack success analysis, and remote location, identification, classification, and tracking of targets. Each system comprises two airborne vehicles, TV-operated from the ground; one of them will carry the Cedip thermal IR camera.

Cedip Infrared Systems develops, designs, manufactures, and markets high-performance IR cameras and systems for industrial, research, surveillance, and security organizations.