Teledyne FLIR Defense's StormCaster-DX payload is designed to manage target areas using a laser point seeker while influencing the guidance of a laser-guided munitions terminal.

Teledyne FLIR Defense has launched an innovative, first-of-its-kind small unmanned aerial system (sUAS) payload that can be used for laser targeting, the NATO standard for laser-guided weapons.

The Teledyne FLIR StormCaster-DX is an advanced, multi-purpose laser designator payload designed specifically for use on the FLIR R80D SkyRaider UAS platform. It is designed to manage target areas using a laser point finder and at the same time affect the terminal guidance of laser-guided munitions. Until now, this capability was only possible with larger Group 4 UAS platforms or ground systems.

Potential applications of this technology range from manned or unmanned airstrikes to precision-guided munitions, naval gunfire, or air launch effects.

"The StormCaster-DX is an absolute game changer for small unit operations and represents a significant increase in force," said Dr. JihFen Lei, executive vice president and general manager of Teledyne FLIR Defense. For the first time, warfighters can survey and manage the battlefield while performing laser designation with a backpack-portable UAV, enabling faster targeting and decision-making that helps ensure mission success.

"We believe customers have embraced what the StormCaster-DX can do for soldiers at risk: when seconds weigh on the outcome of an operation, DX saves minutes," Lee added .

StormCaster-DX's user-defined target tracking captures the precise coordinates, direction, and speed of moving objects and vehicles, enabling covert surveillance and marking.

Two FLIR Boson 640 long-wave infrared thermal cameras support day or night missions. The DX payload offers unmatched stability in all weather conditions and benefits from class-leading payload capacity, plus multi-modal operations – docked or undocked, mounted or detached – as well as AI/computer vision-based targeting features.

Other key features of StormCaster-DX include:

Small size, weight and low power (SWaP) - compact coded laser target designation from a 1250 g payload using a backpack-portable UAS and vertical take-off and landing (VTOL)
non-cooperative laser point tracking - detection, decoding and localization Source or terminate out-of-range lasers
produce highly accurate coordinates – gimbal stabilization, laser rangefinder and ATAK integration allow precise tracking, positioning and coordinate accuracy. Compliant with NATO STANAG

Author and translator: Ali Asghar Alizadeh

Source:  unmannedsystemstechnology