The Wide Area Surveillance Payload (WASP) system has been unveiled by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). It consists of:
- electro-optical and thermal imaging sensors
- image processing and analysis software
- artificial intelligence
- adaptive rule engines
From an altitude of 2000m, WASP offers a resolution of 0.15m and covers two km², meaning all types of moving targets can be detected. At 6,000m, the values are 0.5 m and 20 km² respectively, allowing for the detection of vehicle-sized objects. The field of view of 52 °x 48 ° can be scanned with a frequency of up to 1.5 Hertz. Geo-referencing is provided by an integrated navigation system and is available for each pixel.
WASP has been designed for low energy consumption and is suitable for use in fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles and balloons (aerostats). The low weight of 6.5 kg enables integration into small UAVs such as BirdEye 650D. The three-axis stabilisation ensures sharp images regardless of flight movements or vibrations in the carrier platform. Thus, the compact and lightweight system already offers strong reconnaissance capabilities at the tactical level.
Gerhard Heiming
