HENSOLDT has launched its new-generation airborne imaging system, the ARGOS-15, at the Africa Aerospace and Defence (AAD) Expo 2024.
The ARGOS-15, a state-of-the-art 15-inch gimbal system, offers high-performance for medium-to high altitude missions on both manned and unmanned airborne platforms.
Featuring a modular design and AI-powered functionalities, the new system is an advancement in multispectral sensor technology, designed for modern intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions.
The ARGOS-15 ensures operational superiority at altitudes of up to 50,000 feet and is designed to support a wide range of platforms, including tactical and medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft, and aerostats.
The system’s modular design allows for easy integration across various applications, including military, paramilitary, law enforcement and search-and-rescue missions.
The new ARGOS-15 follows on the widely deployed ARGOS-II, integrated on more than 34 platforms worldwide. Production deliveries are set to begin in mid-2025.
High-Quality Imagery
Equipped with next-generation multispectral sensors, the ARGOS-15 delivers enhanced image quality across diverse lighting conditions. Its image fusion capabilities combine thermal, daylight, and SWIR sensors, ensuring optimal visibility in challenging environments.
The HD images enable detailed aerial video analysis so that infrastructures, troop movements, and targets are clearly recognizable, even under detrimental light and weather conditions.
With highly accurate boresight alignment and retention under harsh conditions, in-flight bore-sighting becomes unnecessary.
Advanced Stabilization
The ARGOS-15 features 4-axis stabilization architecture, coupled with a high-precision inertial measurement unit (IMU), delivering sub-5 µrad stabilization for superior image clarity. This stabilization ensures reliable performance during long-range surveillance and target acquisition.
Common Aperture Architecture
Common aperture architecture for lens-size optimization offers an optimal balance between multi-spectral sensors and internal volume usage. All cameras are designed with optimized detector and lens-matching for best performance. Multi-spectral video is simultaneously available, exposing different information from the scene.
AI-Powered Object Classification & Tracking
At the heart of the ARGOS-15 is an AI-powered object detection, classification and tracking system. Using an integrated GPU, operators can effortlessly detect and track targets with its advanced one-shot object classifier, reducing workload and improving mission efficiency, while real-time processing, allows rapid decision-making in dynamic environments.
Laser Sensors
Equipped with HENSOLDT’s specialized laser sensors, the ARGOS-15 features a comprehensive laser suite, featuring a dual-wavelength, high-power laser-designator and rangefinder for precise intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISTAR) capabilities.
Sunette van Rensburg, Head of Sales of HENSOLDT’s Optronics business in South Africa, commented, “HENSOLDT has been at the forefront of airborne imaging technology for over 35 years. With the launch of the ARGOS-15, we are reinforcing our position as a leading provider of airborne imaging technologies. This system’s superior capabilities will ensure that our customers remain at the forefront of modern surveillance and reconnaissance missions.”
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