Edge Autonomy, a global leader in tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) technologies, announced on Wednesday that the company has launched the advanced Epsilon 180 electro-optical (EO) mid-wave infrared (MWIR) gimbal payload.
“The quality provided in such a compact and hardened payload is nearly unprecedented for a payload of this size,” said Joshua Stinson, chief growth officer for Edge Autonomy. “At just over seven pounds, the new Epsilon 180MG can be incorporated into a smaller UAS, adding superior performance while not drastically reducing the endurance of the platform due to the gimbal’s weight.”
Some of the notable features and improvements for the Epsilon 180MG include a 4K EO camera with 90x super-resolution zoom and 15x continuous optical zoom MWIR as well as a sealed structure filled with dry gas, enabling it to operate in any weather conditions, which allows it to address the demands of ISR applications.
In addition, the multi-mission Epsilon 180MG surveillance system features the most powerful onboard processor in its class, which also allows for a variety of software features such as automatic target tracking and moving target indicators.
“This payload represents a leap forward in capabilities, it’s what the government and commercial customers have demanded for years and Edge Autonomy is delivering,” said Michael Buscher, chief strategy officer for the company, at the initial launch of the technology.
“Furthermore, the ISR payload integrates high-performance Inertial Navigation System (INS), a high-precision, fully integrated solution for geo-pointing and real-time target geolocation,” he added.
About Edge Autonomy
Edge Autonomy (Edge) is the leader in the small, fixed-wing UAV segment. They also develop and produce subsystems, stabilized EO/IR camera payloads and accessories for the unmanned and manned aircraft industry.
Edge systems, airframes, components and subsystems are delivered to nearly 60 different countries and in use with the government. Edge has manufacturing facilities on two continents, with key support offices located in Bend, Oregon and Herndon, Virginia.