As well as being a well-known manufacturer of UAVs and provider of special-mission aircraft conversions, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI, Chalet A206, Static B37 & B40) produces a wide range of sensors and payloads that are employed in the ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance) role. A selection is being presented here at Paris, with a number of new systems on show.
Among the debutantes is a true high-definition stabilized payload known as the M-19 HD. Implemented as a single line-replaceable unit, the M-19 HD is the flagship of IAI’s stabilized payload options and is intended for a variety of applications across a range of environmental conditions. It can be integrated with fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, UAVs, aerostats and vessels. The multi-spectral payload can be configured according to customer requirements with up to seven sensors. Options include: high-definition day or infrared cameras in zoom or spotter modes, laser designator, rangefinder, pointer, laser illuminator in near-IR, short-wave infrared camera and electron-multiplied charged coupled device camera. The payload is 22.6 inches wide and 27.3 inches high. Weight is between 75 and 85 kilograms, depending on configuration.
Another new system is the ELK-7065 3D HF compact three-dimensional HF direction-finder. High-frequency communications have proliferated in recent years as a means of providing long-range communications without the need for expensive satellite systems. Accordingly, the intelligence community has also become increasingly interested in pinpointing HF communications sources and listening in, but current systems employ large antennas that are impractical for mounting on smaller platforms. The IAI system and its boomerang-shaped antennas is compact enough for carriage by UAVs and has recently been trialed on a Heron 1 company testbed.
Another ISR development being highlighted at Paris is the integration of an electronic intelligence capability to the company’s ELM-2060 synthetic aperture radar pod. Increasing miniaturization of components in the existing pod has provided sufficient space for the addition of Elint sensors, which are based on those of the proven ELK-8385 interferometric ESM/Elint system. The new dual-use pod is designated ELI-2060E and can deliver SAR/GMTI radar imagery with overlaid Elint information.
IAI’s success in the ISR field has been underlined with the recent announcement of a $30 million contract to upgrade the ELL-8382 system that had previously been supplied to an undisclosed customer. ELL-8382 is an advanced ESM/Elint suite that is applied to special-mission aircraft. It provides accurate electronic orders of battle, and accurate direction-finding using differential time of arrival techniques.
