Wide-area sensor flight-tested on small drone

Feb. 15 (UPI) -- Logos Technologies' Redkite wide-area sensor has successfully performed its initial flight test aboard a small, tactical unmanned aerial system.

The test, using Insitu's integrator vehicle, was conducted earlier this month in Oregon and was the first time a wide-area motion imagery, or WAMI, system had been carried in the internal payload bay of a small UAS, Logos Technologies said.

"In the past, we've mounted podded versions of our lightweight WAMI systems to rotary- and fixed-wing aircraft," says John Marion, president of Logos Technologies. "Now, thanks to further reductions in weight, we can easily fit a Redkite inside a tactical unmanned platform, as demonstrated with our recent flights on the Insitu Integrator."

Redkite can image a city-sized area of more than 4.6 square miles all at once -- detecting, tracking and recording all significant movers within the scene. It also stores up to eight hours of this geo-tagged mission data on onboard solid state drives.

While the Redkite WAMI sensor is flying, multiple users on the ground can select real-time and/or historical video feeds within its expansive coverage area and view them on desktop screens, tablets and other mobile devices. Redkite can transmit up to 10 unique views to hundreds of users at one time.

"Insitu is pleased to collaborate with Logos to provide yet another way for our customers to get the critical information they need," said Pete Kunz, chief technology officer for Insitu. "Integrator with Redkite enables an even broader set of missions to aid the warfighter in a complex operational environment."

Insitu is a subsidiary of Boeing.