Arthur McMiler
Maxar Intelligence is introducing for commercial and military use a new software suite called Raptor designed for drone navigation in GPS-denied locations. In a company announcement Tuesday, Peter Wilczynski, Maxar chief product officer, described Raptor as a game-changer for customers, using the company’s 3D global terrain data ensuring autonomous systems functionality even with much GPS interference.
“By eliminating reliance on GPS, Raptor software unlocks the full potential of autonomous systems—from powering truly joint multi-domain operations as part of a digital battlefield to large-scale delivery systems in urban areas where knowing the precise coordinates of your drop-off location is critical to getting the job done,” said the Maxar CPO.
Real-Time Video Feeds
The company’s new software suite features a vision-based Raptor Guide positioning software integrated into an autonomous platform to establish its aerial position with an accuracy level of less than 10 meters error margin.
The tool also includes a Raptor Sync software developed for full motion, real-time video capture from the drone’s on-board camera using Maxar’s 3D terrain data structured to extract ground coordinates accurate within three meters or less. The feature extends to Raptor Ace, a software designed for the laptop equipment of drone operators to allow them access to full-motion, real-time aerial videos for extracting target ground coordinates.
Adaptability With Commercial Hardware
Maxar outlined several advantages for Raptor, such as its adaptability with off-the-shelf hardware that requires minimal initial integration resulting in cost and power efficiency.
The company also said its new software suite can operate on current UAS cameras and do not require dedicated lens, saving on platform weight and power use. Given the feature, Raptor can bring autonomy at scale, with its technology enabling joint operations of different unmanned systems with varying software or hardware, Maxar added.
Other recent technology development efforts for drone operation in GPS-denied locations include the V-BAT unmanned aircraft system that Northrop Grumman and Martin UAV had tested as a replacement for the U.S. Army’s RQ-7B Shadow drone.
