BAE Systems,
Nashua NH: BAE Systems will develop a situational awareness capability for U.S. Army combat vehicles. BAE Systems' Distributed Aperture System (DAS) will enable the vehicle driver, crew members, and soldiers riding inside to “see” through the armor of the vehicle, providing enhanced situational awareness for driving and before dismounting.
DAS will be developed and demonstrated for the U.S. Army's Research, Development and Engineering Command's Night Vision & Electronic Sensors Directorate. The two-year program will culminate with BAE Systems' installation of the DAS on an M2 Bradley Fighting Vehicle modified to simulate a notional vehicle crew station.
The DAS provides independent, simultaneous, closed-hatched hemispherical views of the area surrounding the vehicle. It can function day or night, and when the vehicle is moving or stationary.
“DAS answers a dire need for our mounted war fighters by giving them situational awareness they need right now – in both urban warfare settings and in open terrain,” said Jim Bob Bryant, Tactical Decision Systems Director for BAE Systems at Austin, Texas.
Camera pods mounted around the vehicle will provide a combined field of view that covers 360 degrees and a view from the horizon to directly above the vehicle. The cameras operate in both visible and long-wave-length spectral bands. The real-time images from the vehicle's exterior are seamlessly merged so war fighters inside can easily, safely, and effectively view the entire environment around them.
BAE Systems will use the company's uncooled long-wave infrared cameras for its imaging capability.
