Exelis will provide five additional infrared sensors for the U.S. military’s wide-area unmanned surveillance program under a $25 million contract.
The Gorgon Stare infrared sensing technology is designed to facilitate a five-mile diametrical coverage area from the previous increment of 2.5 miles in range, Exelis said Wednesday.
S. Danny Rajan, director of regional surveillance at Exelis, said the latest sensor system is intended to help military users carry out decisions and base them on detailed information.
“By their nature threats are unpredictable, but having the capability to observe multiple views of various events over a large area over time improves the chances of identifying anomalous or threatening activity that may be of intelligence value,†Rajan added.
Exelis’ sensors work to gather multiple views into an image that is transmitted to mobile devices through a ground station.
Sierra Nevada is the prime contractor of the Gorgon Stare program.