General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA ASI), a leading manufacturer of Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA), tactical reconnaissance radars, and electro-optic surveillance systems, announced the successful flight test of its Nightlighter airborne imaging system.

A prototype Nightlighter system was successfully flight tested and demonstrated on a Twin Otter aircraft during the Olympus Flight Test sponsored by the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization (JIEDDO) at China Lake, Calif. GA-ASI is currently developing a program to deploy the system on King Air 350 aircraft.

“Identifying and defeating IEDs before they detonate is one of today’s most pressing ISR [Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance] challenges. Nightlighter’s ultra high-resolution imagery not only detects IEDs in day or night, but also can be processed rapidly into precision, wide-area, three-dimensional relief maps of terrain and structures that are of high value to both mission planners and the warfighter,” said Dr. Michael Perry, Vice President, Reconnaissance Systems Group, GA-ASI.

Under development since 2010, Nightlighter is a high-altitude airborne imaging system designed to detect Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and other implanted devices along roads and other routes of travel. The system uses both standard cameras for operation in daylight and advanced night imaging technology to collect imagery under darkness.

Nightlighter delivers around-the-clock, ultra high-resolution imagery and is derived from GA-ASI’s proven daylight-only, Highlighter electro-optic sensor system. Developed in 2005, Highlighter recently completed a very successful six-year deployment to Operation Iraqi Freedom. GA-ASI plans to conduct a series of additional flight tests under both daylight and nighttime conditions to validate the effectiveness of the Nightlighter platform further.