QinetiQ North America's Small Multi-Spectral Imager Takes First Flight
Demonstration verifies ability to discriminate and identify targets from various altitudes
Reston, Va.- QinetiQ North America (QNA) today announced the successful demonstration of its Small Multi-Spectral Imager (sMSI) during its first flight test in Imperial County, Calif. The sMSI correctly identified all targets from various altitudes up to 3,000 feet, including simulated land mines, disturbed earth, camouflage and electrical wire targets.
"Our first flight test shows that the sMSI can successfully identify diverse targets from multiple altitudes," said JD Crouch, Technology Solutions Group President, QinetiQ North America. "Our next step is to integrate sMSI on small unmanned aerial vehicles to increase situational awareness during critical missions."
The demonstration was conducted to verify the sMSI's ability to discriminate and identify various targets from specific altitudes, and to assess the custom 55 millimeter optical system's performance. Test altitudes were 400, 1,200 and 3,000 feet, consistent with mission altitudes for small UAVs. One sMSI with a normal field of view and one sMSI with a wide field of view were flown simultaneously, along with a standard electro-optical camera for comparison. Three real-time multi-spectral processing modes were used to determine which modes work best for each type of target. The team's next step will be to conduct new flight tests with the sMSI integrated onto UAVs to prepare for real-world mission support.
QNA's sMSI is a compact, lightweight, low power camera that supports a variety of applications, such as improvised explosive device detection, camouflage detection and oceanographic/environmental sensing. The sMSI is the latest innovation in QNA's long history of developing and integrating MSI cameras onto a variety of platforms and systems.
Operating as the U.S. component of QinetiQ Group plc's Global Products division, QNA's Technology Solutions Group is a world leader in robotic technology solutions that save lives in defense, security and first responder environments. For more information, please see our website www.qinetiq-na.com , read our blog techblog.qinetiq-na.com and follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/qinetiqnarobots or Twitter at www.twitter.com/qinetiqnarobots.
About QinetiQ North America
QinetiQ North America (QNA) is a subsidiary of QinetiQ Group plc, the FTSE250 company listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE:QQ.L). Operating in North America, QNA delivers world-class technology, responsive services, and innovative solutions for global markets, focusing on US government and commercial customers. Its engineers, scientists and other professionals deliver high quality products and services that leverage detailed mission knowledge and proven, reliable tools and methodologies to meet the rapidly changing demands of national defense, homeland security and information assurance customers. QNA is headquartered in McLean, Virginia. For more information visit www.qinetiq-na.com.
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