FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct 23, 2008
Radar’s Wide Area Search Mode Excels in Identifying Illegal Border Crossing Activity
SAN DIEGO – 23 October 2008 – General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA‑ASI), a leading manufacturer of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and tactical reconnaissance radars, today announced that its Lynx® Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) sensor successfully identified suspected areas of illegal crossing activity along the U.S. southwest border during recent border patrol operations conducted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) out of Fort Huachuca, Ariz. The Lynx SAR is now performing day-to-day border search operations onboard a CBP Predator B unmanned aircraft system (UAS), also manufactured by GA-ASI.
Despite cloud cover and ground haze obscuration in the search area, the Lynx SAR’s weather penetration and wide-area scan capabilities have resulted in repeatedly successful missions with all objectives achieved.
“The Lynx radar’s wide field-of-view and ability to pinpoint activity allows operators to cue EO/IR [Electro-Optical/Infrared] payloads or ground units to investigate anomalies,” said Linden P. Blue, president, Reconnaissance Systems Group, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. “Lynx SAR’s broad-area and all-weather surveillance capabilities continue to maximize the value and search area of the sophisticated and long-endurance Predator B UAS during CBP border patrol operations.”
The Lynx radar provides the all-weather precision capability to detect time-sensitive targets and offers a long-range, wide-area surveillance capability that can provide high-resolution SAR imagery slant ranges well beyond effective EO/IR range. The radar also incorporates a broad area GMTI (Ground Movement Target Indicator) scanning capability to detect moving vehicles and cue the EO/IR payload via the CLAW® payload control software.
High-resolution photos of Lynx SAR/GMTI products and associated imagery, as well as CBP’s Predator B UAS, are available upon request from the GA-ASI media contact listed below.
About GA-ASI
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc., an affiliate of General Atomics, provides comprehensive unmanned aircraft and radar solutions for military and commercial applications worldwide. The company’s Aircraft Systems Group is a leading designer and manufacturer of proven, reliable unmanned aircraft systems, including Predator®, Predator B, and Sky Warrior®, and provides pilot training and support services for UAS field operations. The Reconnaissance Systems Group designs, manufactures, and integrates the Lynx SAR/GMTI radar into both manned and unmanned aircraft, as well as the highly sophisticated CLAW sensor control and image analysis software, and integrates sensor and communications equipment into manned ISR aircraft. For more information, please visit www.ga-asi.com.
Lynx, CLAW, Predator, and Sky Warrior are registered trademarks of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.
For more information contact:
Kimberly Kasitz
Public Relations Manager
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.
+1.858.312.2294
kimberly.kasitz@ga-asi.com