3 March 2009
BAE Systems will begin delivering in April up to 12,000 Check-6 thermal sights for Strykers and Abrams combat vehicles that allow drivers to see behind and in front, U.S. Army and BAE officials said.
The Army ordered the cameras in a $45 million deal in December. BAE Systems expects to deliver them over the next decade.
The cameras provide day, night and all-weather visibility.
"We replaced the taillight with incandescent light-emitting diodes. We took an uncooled infrared camera and inserted it at the bottom of the tail and covered with a debris shield," said Billy Billimoria, BAE director of business development for the sensor integration unit in Austin, Texas. The protective shield was integrated in the existing vehicle taillight with no drilling or welding.
The vehicle's driver can pull up views from front and back, control the display's brightness and contrast and move a protective shield around the sights, Billimoria said.
Having front and rear cameras will allow troops to see more of their surroundings without leaving the safety of the armored vehicle, he said.
"This fused vision system gives you more features, more clarity and more information than a single night-vision camera," he said. "There is a display in the back and all of these controls that allow them [the drivers] to do some additional functionality."
The Army is looking at putting Check-6 systems on Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles as part of their upgrades. The Check-6 system can easily be installed on more than 300,000 current and planned U.S. Army vehicles, Billimoria said.
"If there is this rear vision in Lexus and BMWs, then we ought to provide this capability to soldiers and Marines," he said.
M1A2 Abrams Tank (U.S.)
The IAV Stryker is a family of eight-wheeled all-wheel-drive armored combat vehicles produced by General Dynamics Land Systems, in use by the United States Army.
BAE Systems will begin delivering in April up to 12,000 Check-6 thermal sights for Strykers and Abrams combat vehicles that allow drivers to see behind and in front, U.S. Army and BAE officials said.
The Army ordered the cameras in a $45 million deal in December. BAE Systems expects to deliver them over the next decade.
The cameras provide day, night and all-weather visibility.
"We replaced the taillight with incandescent light-emitting diodes. We took an uncooled infrared camera and inserted it at the bottom of the tail and covered with a debris shield," said Billy Billimoria, BAE director of business development for the sensor integration unit in Austin, Texas. The protective shield was integrated in the existing vehicle taillight with no drilling or welding.
The vehicle's driver can pull up views from front and back, control the display's brightness and contrast and move a protective shield around the sights, Billimoria said.
Having front and rear cameras will allow troops to see more of their surroundings without leaving the safety of the armored vehicle, he said.
"This fused vision system gives you more features, more clarity and more information than a single night-vision camera," he said. "There is a display in the back and all of these controls that allow them [the drivers] to do some additional functionality."
The Army is looking at putting Check-6 systems on Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles as part of their upgrades. The Check-6 system can easily be installed on more than 300,000 current and planned U.S. Army vehicles, Billimoria said.
"If there is this rear vision in Lexus and BMWs, then we ought to provide this capability to soldiers and Marines," he said.
M1A2 Abrams Tank (U.S.)
The IAV Stryker is a family of eight-wheeled all-wheel-drive armored combat vehicles produced by General Dynamics Land Systems, in use by the United States Army.
