Oberkochen, Germany, 3rd November 2017 – Beginning in February 2019, HENSOLDT will deliver another 30 Surveillance and Reconnaissance Platforms BAA II for the Light Armoured Reconnaissance Vehicle FENNEK for Joint Fire Support Teams (JFST). There will also be another system to train the soldiers. The order furthermore includes 35 rear view cameras (RFK II). The order volume amounts to about 13.3 million Euros. The integration of all optronic devices is expected to be completed by 2022.
The BAA II is equipped with modern high performance sensors: a high resolution CCD camera and ATTICA, a cooled third generation thermal imager. The generation change in the thermal imagers was a crucial step to reach an image quality that significantly exceeds that of the previous model OPHELIOS in the FENNEK of the German Army Reconnaissance Troops (Heeresaufklärungstruppe).
The modern image fusion function allows combining the data of the thermal imager with those of the daytime camera. That lets the soldier recognise details not visible to the human eye, to then take the best decision on the basis of the optimised image. The BAA II furthermore consists of an eye-safe laser rangefinder and a laser target illuminator. With these, the soldier can mark, illuminate and assign targets, thus shortening the overall reaction time required.
The target data identified by the BAA II can be processed by the ADLER combat and weapon control system (CWCS). Both, the cooled thermal imager ATTICA and the CCD daytime camera offer four fields of view. These grant the viewer both, a broad overview as well as the possibility to recognize even the smallest details. The Surveillance and Reconnaissance Platform allows the user to recognize targets at a distance of up to 16 kilometres and to accurately identify them at up to 5 kilometres.
The Surveillance and Reconnaissance Platform is set to support the soldier's work, particularly on long missions. Thanks to the new image processing software, the user no longer needs to watch the screen continuously, which in the past often led to fatigue phenomena. The automatic motion detection supports the soldier when monitoring the battlefield for a long time and warns him, if and when a potential threat approaches.
The rear view camera RFK II is an uncooled thermal imager. The camera is operational after a few seconds. It supports the driver of the FENNEK JFST in driving forwards and backwards safely even in bad weather, visibility and at night. In addition to the infrared image, the width of the vehicle is superimposed on the driver’s screen. That facilitates reversing in particular. With its field of view of 55° x 41°, the RFK II can detect a NATO standard target at a distance of one kilometer.
About HENSOLDT
HENSOLDT is an independent, globally leading supplier of premium sensors for security and surveillance missions. The company is active throughout the world in such areas as missile warning systems and submarine periscopes. Moreover, HENSOLDT is very active in the market for radar systems, optronics and electronic protection systems. The company comprises the security and defence electronics activities of the Airbus Group, which were spun off from the group in 2017 and have now entered the market as a new sensor house under the brand name of HENSOLDT. HENSOLDT employs approximately 4,000 employees, generating annual revenues of about €1 billion.
Press contact
Carina.Siegmund
+49 (0)7364.9557.531
carina.siegmund@hensoldt.net
