Posted by Courtney E. Howard
CHARLOTTE, N.C., 15 March 2010. Goodrich Corp. has delivered the fourth of seven CA-247 airborne stabilized wide-area persistent surveillance (WAPS) production systems to the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) for operational deployment. Goodrich's ISR Systems team in Barrington, Illinois produced and delivered the systems.
The CA-247 camera system integrates advanced optics, stabilization, and software resulting in a large field of view that provides broad-area situational awareness to troops on the ground. The camera can be augmented with a visible sensor to provide day and night imaging.
Designed for modularity, the system can be configured to host multiple sensor configurations based on mission-specific needs. The persistent view delivered by the CA-247 facilitates forensic backtracking and counter-improvised explosive device (IED) operations, and multiplies existing capabilities by allowing for simultaneous surveillance of multiple target locations with a single asset, says a representative.
Dr. Paul Lebow, staff scientist, NRL says, "The CA-247 represents the latest technological success resulting from a long-standing partnership with NRL. The Goodrich ISR System team's historical leadership in airborne reconnaissance has made them the ideal integrator of key sensor technologies pursued by the Navy laboratory."
Tom Bergeron, president, ISR Systems at Goodrich, says: "Goodrich's WAPS technology has wide-ranging application to other platforms and mission scenarios, with the ultimate goal of supporting the ground forces wherever they may be in the theater of operations. In addition to the seven cameras on this production contract, Goodrich built several similar cameras in our WAPS camera family under other contracts. These initiatives both proved the maturity of the technology, and furthered the development of operational employment and concept of operations for this new generation of cameras."
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