Hanging a new pod underneath a military aircraft is a favorite trick of exhibitors at shows like Paris. But they seldom explain that the pod is not yet integrated with the aircraft in question–a process that will be costly. However, at this Paris Air Show you may see the Airborne Technologies Self-Contained Aerial Reconnaissance (SCAR) pod beneath a variety of aircraft. Ready to perform.
Airborne Technologies (Static B4) is a young, innovative Austrian company that is making a name as an integrator and turnkey provider of surveillance systems on low-cost platforms such as the Pilatus PC-6 and the Tecnam Multi-Mission Aircraft (MMA). It unveiled the SCAR pod at last year’s Singapore Air Show and has claimed three customers already, according to sales director Marcus Gurtner. “Thanks to the miniaturization of sensors, the development of Wi-Fi technology, and today’s battery packs, the SCAR pod only needs a hardpoint. It is plug and fly–surveillance out of the box,” he said.
The pod is made of carbon fiber and comes in two sizes, to accommodate either 10-15-, or 20-inch EO/IR sensor gimbals. Up to 160 kilos of mission equipment can be fitted; other possible payloads include electronic warfare, SIGINT or hyperspectral survey systems.
The pod can be adapted to carry a small 360-degree surveillance radar, such as the Thales I-Master. It really is self-contained with the pod’s own battery pack lasting up to 10 hours, and no need for data cabling connections to the aircraft thanks to the secure Wi-Fi system. (Customers can alternatively run the pod from the aircraft’s power system, via a 28V DC connection).
The onboard crew can even operate the sensor with a tablet or laptop, so that no console need be installed. Alternatively, the sensor can be remotely controlled from a ground station via a high-definition line-of-sight datalink. The ground station can be a van or pickup truck containing all the antennas and two workstations. There is also a satellite uplink option from the pod.
The SCAR pod is particularly suitable for helicopters and UAVs, where payload space is limited and weight or power supply can be critical, according to George DeCock, international sensors and missions manager for Airborne Technologies.
If the pod is not needed for certain missions, it can simply be removed, DeCock noted. Fitting or removal takes 15 minutes–compared to the 60 days’ downtime that an operator must allow for a typical fixed sensor installation. “We can install the sensor fit and then ship to the customer,” he added. He also described a mission scenario for a small aircraft where two pods might be carried, one under each wing, one containing a video sensor and the other a radar.
Using Airborne Technologies’ own mission management system, sensor operators are presented with a moving map/augmented reality system that can be overlaid on the EO/IR video. “The operation is intuitive via touch-screen menus,” DeCock claimed. The company is offering a detachable display and control module for the Pilatus PC-9/21 series that can be bolt-mounted over the instrument panel in the rear cockpit, leaving it undisturbed. The SCAR pod was recently fitted to a Slovenian air force PC-9 and demonstrated during the NATO Adriatic Strike close-air-support exercise.
“I foresee that we have a three-to-five-year lead in the market, before our solution becomes a standard for many ISR missions,” said Gurtner recently. “By that time, we expect to have implemented more innovative ideas that we have at present on the drawing board,” he added.
