BlueBird has won a contract to supply its SpyLite mini unmanned aircraft system to a Latin American country, where the equipment will be used mainly for “civil surveillance” tasks.
The Israeli company has not released further details, but sources in Israel say the UAS will be configured with an electro-optical payload capable of detecting “underground items” by sensing the spectral range. While the system is defined as for civil use, it may be tasked for “additional missions” in the undisclosed country, they add.
In April BlueBird won a $3 million contract to supply SpyLite systems to the Chilean army. Deliveries will start soon.
Optimised for so-called “over the hill” surveillance activities, the SpyLite has an endurance of more than 4h and a communication range of over 27nm (50km). The air vehicle can be flown in strong wind conditions, and on cloudy or rainy days, BlueBird says.
The SpyLite system can be configured for backpack storage, vehicle-mounted or fixed headquarters locations. The UAS is fully autonomous, from its point of launch to recovery using a parachute and airbag.
BlueBird says that by combining electro-optical/infrared imagery with proprietary ground exploitation software, the SpyLite can relay GPS-marked imagery to a ground control station in real time.
Source: Flight Global