Immenstaad/Germany. Sensor solutions provider HENSOLDT has received an order from aerial services specialist QinetiQ GmbH, Mönchengladbach, to supply two complete systems for electro-optical reconnaissance.

The reconnaissance system consists of the ARGOS-II HD electro-optical infrared system (EO/IR) and the EuroNAV control and evaluation software. These core elements will be pre-integrated by HENSOLDT and scaffolded by QinetiQ for ISR Services and training of national and international JTAC customers and operators with the DA62MPP aircraft manufactured by Diamond Aircrafts Industries, Austria.

“The pre-integration of the mission system by HENSOLDT facilitates the functional testing of the system before integration into the aircraft and thereby significantly reduces the risks in such a project at an extremely early stage. In addition, certification activities can be brought forward. These were decisive points for QinetiQ to commission us,” says Frank Martin, Senior Director Sales for Integrated Airborne Solutions.

The mission system with the product name MissionGrid can be used on fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles. In addition to air and naval forces, it is used for border protection, search and rescue, maritime patrol, law enforcement and asset protection. The German Federal Police use it to combat smuggling, illicit trafficking and border security operations.

The reconnaissance system covers a range of up to 40 km and can detect ships as well as small inflatable boats or individual swimmers’ day and night as well as in bad weather. A thermal imaging camera records the images and transmits video and data in real time to base stations on the ground. The MissionGrid mission system can also be easily and modularly supplemented with the PrecISR reconnaissance radar, as well as the HENSOLDT self-protection equipment AMPS.

A virtual training facility also allows users on the installation to be trained “remotely” on the mission system via a secure internet connection.