Now more than ever, national borders are being challenged—and not just by enemy combatants or large-scale motorized military units. Terrorists, smugglers, and migrants are all slipping through the gaps in border enforcement. And while everyone recognizes the problems in border security, the question is how to get enough eyes on the long, meandering boundaries between countries.
That’s where Kestrel Block II comes in.
Developed by Logos Technologies and leveraging the success of similar wide-area motion imagery (WAMI) systems employed in Iraq and Afghanistan, the exportable Kestrel Block II is a powerful, cost-effective sensor that is mounted on an aerostat. From this vantage point, high above the treetops/hills/buildings, a single Kestrel Block II can continuously image an area of 100-plus square kilometers in real time.
Key features:
- Both electro-optical and infrared cameras for 24-hour monitoring
- Covers area of 113 sq km at once, from 3,000 ft. AGL
- Long endurance – 30+ days at a time
- Real-time access to both live and/or recorded imagery
- Multiple imagery windows may be viewed simultaneously
- Lightweight payload can be collocated with other sensors
- Automated cueing of sensors for high-res views while maintaining full situational awareness
Kestrel Block II images in medium resolution. That’s enough to detect individuals moving across the system’s vast coverage area as well as detect and track vehicle-sized targets. Additionally, since Kestrel Block II is so light, it can share a platform with other sensors, such as high-res full-motion video (FMV) cameras. The WAMI system can then cue these collocated FMVs to zoom in on detected targets.
Besides following border infiltrators in real time, Kestrel Block II records everything for up to 30 days. This stored and indexed imagery provides analysts with a formidable forensic tool. Should an event occur, the Kestrel Block II analyst can “go back in time” and link the infiltrators to hidden staging areas, suspicious vehicles, collaborators, etc.—all while said event is unfolding!
Kestrel Block II delivers the coverage and persistence surveillance needed for a country’s security and defense.
