Eurosatory-Coges
65 rue de Courcelles
75008 Paris
France
| Tel: | +33 (0)1 44 14 58 10 |
  |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
||||||||||
|
Woomera Zeta trials fly high Four hours drive north of Adelaide, Western Australia, lies Woomera, a Government-owned former rocket test range that is so remote that it enjoys unadulterated airspace and vast ground coverage. The government is busy re-instrumentating this unique asset to make it a more attractive commercial proposition for weapons manufacturers keen to put their products through their paces without unwanted distractions. Chess Dynamics engineers visited the site recently to conduct significant trials of the company's electro-optical Long Range Thermal Tracking System (LRTTS), delivered to tight timescales, which the Royal Australian Air Force was commissioning at its Edinburgh base, near Adelaide. The LRTTS is based on a Chess Dynamics ZETA platform which is a dual axis, general purpose, heavy duty, high powered, servo positioning and tracking platform. It was specifically developed for accurate control and positioning of radar, communications and optical sensor payloads in demanding applications requiring micro-radian absolute positioning and pointing. The system is controlled from a PC running the Video Management System (VMS) suite of software used for electro-optical systems management. The system's long range performance was maximised by maintaining a fully digital system all the way from the sensor through to the processing software and display. The VMS graphical user interface provides intuitive control of the system and displays the imagery on a high resolution display. The VMS software automates target acquisition at long range using a sector scan and automatic target acquisition algorithm. Once acquired the target is then automatically tracked. The VMS software suite also includes the ability to record full resolution and full dynamic range digital video from the thermal imager and options to control other sensors such as laser range finders. Thanks to an unforeseen occurrence, the containerised system, which can be fitted on to a trailer for rapid deployment from a mobile position, cemented its capability firmly in the minds of the purchaser in a wholly unexpected manner. The engineers were able to lock the Zeta and thermal imaging camera on to a high-flying moving target - a Boeing 737 commercial airliner overflying Woomera some 35,000 feet up -tracking it and maintaining visible contact for more than 20 minutes: a viewing distance calculated to be some 300km. "We were looking up the tailpipes of the aircraft for quite a distance," commented Chess Dynamics' Managing Director Graham Beall. "Our EO system linked into an existing precision instrumentation director and successfully cued it on to objects of interest, enabling both to perform synchronised tracking - quite a challenge." The RAAF installation represents the latest in what is an evolving specialisation for the versatile Zeta platform, which has a significantly high payload capability (greater than 100kg) while also delivering precise control, he adds. "Zeta is an extremely competent tracking platform. You can bolt virtually anything you like on to it. The RAAF system certainly gave a good account of itself."
For more information contact: Eurosatory-Coges 65 rue de Courcelles 75008 Paris France |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Email: info@worldsecurity-index.com |
By using Worldsecurity-Index.com you
are agreeing to our Conditions of Use.
© KNM Media LLP 2001. All rights reserved. |