WASHINGTON, 18 Jan. 2008. BAE Systems has delivered five target detection systems to the U.S. Army for use on Shadow unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). The AURORA Generation IV remote-sensing system will provide U.S. forces with precise detection and identification of potential threats, increasing mission capability and survivability.

AURORA is an ultra-lightweight, compact, wide-area surveillance system. It combines daytime hyperspectral imaging technology, featuring high-resolution electro-optic sensors, with an airborne processing system to automatically detect and identify targets.

"AURORA is the first system that puts hyperspectral technology in operational use for U.S. forces," says John Antoniades, director of remote sensing technologies for BAE Systems. "This is important because the combination of hyperspectral and electro-optic technology offers an objective tool to detect and identify targets, relieving the stress on operators who are constantly watching video imagery."

The system is designed to meet tactical needs of unmanned aircraft with highly efficient onboard processing that minimizes bandwidth requirements. AURORA has a real-time processing capability to search for targets and immediately downlink location results to ground operators for rapid delivery into intelligence databases.

The AURORA Generation IV system can be used on a wide range of low- and medium-altitude manned or unmanned vehicles that can accommodate payloads as low as 35 pounds.