Israel-based Bental Industries is launching what it claims is the "smallest-size payload available today" for mini- and micro-UAVs. The new payload, dubbed MicroBAT 275, has a diameter of 2.75 inch and is being unveiled at this week's IDEF defense exhibition in Ankara, Turkey.
According to the Israeli company, the MicroBAT 275 is designed for day and night surveillance, reconnaissance and observation missions.
The payload features expanded mounting flexibility so that it can be placed below the fuselage or in front of the nose of a UAV, depending on the design.
It has been designed to allow "seamless integration" of day and night cameras and enables "precise control" of zoom, shutter and focus, Bental says.
So far, Bental-developed payloads have been ordered by a number of Israeli companies, including Elbit Systems, Israel Aerospace Industries and Rafael Armament Development Authority, says Bental. Users outside Israel include Italy's Galileo Avionica, Raytheon in the U.S. and Schiebel of Austria.
The technology includes a control board for high-resolution stabilization, geared motors offering "exceptional accuracy", and an electro-optical zoomed sensor. The design of the payload enables it to rotate through 350 deg on the bearing axis and through 200 deg on the heading axis. This mechanical flexibility is combined with a set of algorithms to make sure that the payload is always aimed precisely at the targeted point, the company claims.
Bental is offering the MicroBAT 275 in the U.S. through its Baltimore, Maryland-based subsidiary Bental Inc.
--Joris Janssen Lok
I want one of these for the roof of my car!
Dashboard display.
Posted by: Aaron | May 22, 2007 at 05:48 PM