L-3 WESCAM demos infrared imaging system for Army aerostats

L-3 WESCAM has demonstrated its MX-25 electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) imaging system for the Army, the company said Feb. 21.

The Burlington, Ontario-based imaging systems provider demonstrated the MX-25 EO/IR system at Yuma Proving Ground, Ariz.. Personnel with the Army's Persistent Threat and Detection System (PTDS) Communications-Electronics Command used it as a plug-and-play upgrade path for the MX-20 systems currently deployed on PTDS aerostats.

After only two hours of installation, the MX-25 was operational, the company said. It subsequently was evaluated over a course of nine consecutive days.

During this time, a side-by-side resolution test was conducted between the MX-20 and MX-25, whereby the MX-25 provided similarly detailed thermal imagery at 50 percent greater standoff distances, L-3 WESCAM said. The improved range capability and enhanced situational awareness that the system executed during testing is a result of a significantly larger IR lens aperture, a high-definition IR imager and improved stabilization, the company said.

The MX-25 can house up to seven imaging and laser sensors and can be further equipped with a laser designator option, the company said.