STAR - Short Term Aerial Recognizance

Problem Statement: Civil security recognizance is invaluable to the operations of the Border Patrol, Police, Sheriff, and first responders in every type of environment. Although there are large-scale assets available for these ground forces, the immediacy aspect of ISR is tough to satisfy for the emergency real-time surveillance information.
Solution: A low-cost networked, aerial recognizance solution implemented by ground forces on demand, no waiting for assets, no call for crew served air support, could make a difference. System could also serve as fixed surveillance camera to monitor a suspected traffic route, a complex urban scene, for first responder’s hazard assessment.
CONOP: The operator would set the radio channel prior to launch and match it on his handheld display unit (Tablet or smart-phone). The STAR would provide a wide field of view during decent and will broadcast the digital image and rate data on a secure channel. The hand held display would receive the data, buffer and process the video signal using a digital filter that processes the video using pixel progression algorithms and the rate sensor data to provide a stabilized video image to the operator.
Project Scope: To develop and test a 40 mm smart ISR device (using all COTS components) that is designed to be launched from a conventional M-320 40mm grenade launcher (or equivalent air cannon). The ISR device is launched at a high loft angle to attain an elevation of up to 100 meters AGL, hover for a reasonable period and broadcast imager to the operator tablet. It would be equipped with a low cost CCD camera, low cost rate sensors, and a low power COTS radio data-link. This project will also need to include the hand held tablet to process the digital video and display it real-time.