The US Navy has received the fourth of seven CA-247 airborne stabilised wide-area persistent surveillance (WAPS) production systems from Goodrich Corporation for operational deployment.
The CA-247 camera system allows a large field of view by integrating advanced optics, stabilisation and software thereby providing the troops on the ground with broad-area situational awareness.
Based on mission-specific needs, the camera can be configured to host multiple sensor configurations and provide both day and night imaging when augmented with a visible sensor.
The camera’s persistent view facilitates forensic backtracking and counter-improvised explosive device (IED) operations, and multiplies existing capabilities by allowing for simultaneous surveillance of multiple target locations with a single asset.
Goodrich ISR Systems president Tom Bergeron said Goodrich’s WAPS technology had wide-ranging applications for other platforms and mission scenarios, with the ultimate goal of supporting ground forces wherever they may be in the theatre of operations.
“In addition to the seven cameras on this production contract, Goodrich has built several similar cameras in our WAPS camera family under other contracts,” he said.
“These initiatives both proved the maturity of the technology, and furthered the development of operational employment and concept of operations for this new generation of cameras.”
The production work and the delivery has been carried out by Goodrich’s ISR Systems team in Barrington, Illinois.
