Lightweight EO/IR System for Wide-Area Persistent Surveillance

Rafael Advanced Defense Systems will use the occasion of the Singapore Airshow this week to unveil MicroLite – a lightweight EO/IR sensor for airborne Wide-Area Persistent Surveillance missions, integrated on an Aeronautics ORBITER-4 UAS.

MicroLite joins Rafael’s family of advanced aerial electro-optical systems that includes the LITENING advanced targeting pod (of which over 1,700 have been operationally fielded world-wide), the RecceLite real-time digital ISR pod, and the TOPLITE EO/IR system.

MicroLite is an innovative, compact, lightweight EO/IR ISTAR system, for small aerial platforms such as UAS, manned aircraft, aerostats and observation balloons.

By simultaneous scanning with high-resolution medium-wave infrared and visual HD colour sensors, MicroLite enables 24/7 wide-area persistent surveillance. It may also be equipped with a laser designator for sensor-to-shooter loop closure. Certain ground-breaking technologies have been developed and integrated into MicroLite to manifest these capabilities in a small, lightweight unit.

The MicroLite design includes a gimballed turret, which enables horizon-to-horizon field of regard. The system also includes an onboard data processing and storage unit for real-time advanced image processing and an advanced suite of cyber defence capabilities.

By continuously monitoring a large area, MicroLite creates a wide footprint, through which the target area is continuously revisited at a very high rate, enabling simultaneous high-resolution tracking and investigation of multiple targets, including small targets. All video products and analytics are geographically anchored and can be simultaneously disseminated to multiple clients.

First of its kind, the Rafael MicroLite has been integrated onto the Aeronautics Orbiter-4 UAS, to begin flight tests. This is the first example of the tight synergy created by a Rafael product and an Aeronautics platform since Rafael acquired the latter last year.