Mercury upgrades high altitude missile observatoryChelmsford 11 Oct 2000 Mercury Computer Systems has delivered a RACE++ system valued at $1.4 million to Aeromet that will use the PowerPC "G4" based system to upgrade its High Altitude Observatory (HALO) aircraft under contract to the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command (USASMDC).
"HALO is a key platform for the U.S. Army Space and Missile
Defense Command," said Garry Booker, Chief Operating Officer at
Aeromet. "Mercury's systems have made it possible for us to track
ballistic missile payloads with tremendous speed and efficiency. HALO
can now provide unprecedented performance for image capture, storage
and retrieval in a lightweight, low-cost package."
Mercury's integrated digital signal processors will dramatically
improve the performance of the missile tracking system aboard the HALO
aircraft. This upgrade will speed the recording of the images and
provide both a clearer display and greater archival storage. When the
HALO's mission is complete, military officials will have the ability
to immediately replay and analyse the recorded tests to assess the
success of the mission.
The HALO programme began in 1985 during the early phases of the
Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI). The HALO aircraft is a Gulfstream
II-B that has been modified by Aeromet to carry three sensor suites.
Each sensor suite is a self-contained unit complete with optical
windows, sensors, data acquisition and recording instruments. By
flying at very high altitudes the HALO aircraft is closer to the
proximity of the missile and avoids clouds at lower altitudes. The
Mercury system will be installed on a second Gulfstream II-B HALO
aircraft to collect and process data from a state-of-the-art large
aperture open port infrared sensor system.
"Mercury's high-performance systems are used on platforms ranging
in size from tactical fighters, to Boeing 707-based Joint STARS, to
an executive jet platform", said Vince Mancuso, vice president and
general manager, Government Electronics Group, Mercury Computer
Systems. "The experience gained in radar applications is now being
applied to optical tracking systems. Being selected by Aeromet
underscores the applicability of Mercury's technology to a wide range
of military applications."
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