Kestrel is a
wide-area motion imagery Wide-area motion imagery (WAMI) is an approach to surveillance, reconnaissance, and intelligence-gathering that employs specialized software and a powerful camera system—usually airborne, and for extended periods of time—to detect and track hund ...
(or persistent surveillance) system used on
aerostats
An aerostat (, via French) is a lighter-than-air aircraft that gains its lift through the use of a buoyant gas. Aerostats include unpowered balloons and powered airships. A balloon may be free-flying or tethered. The average density of the craf ...
at U.S. forward operating bases in Afghanistan to monitor the surrounding areas.
Developed by Logos Technologies, the system is equipped with electro-optical and infrared cameras, providing day/night
force protection
Force protection (FP) refers to the concept of protecting military personnel, family members, civilians, facilities, equipment and operations from threats or hazards in order to preserve operational effectiveness and contribute to mission succes ...
and
overwatch
''Overwatch'' is a multimedia franchise centered on a series of online multiplayer first-person shooter (FPS) video games developed by Blizzard Entertainment: '' Overwatch'' released in 2016, and ''Overwatch 2'' released in 2022. Both games f ...
to troops.
Development
Kestrel has its roots in
Constant Hawk, a wide-area sensor suite developed by Logos Technologies as well,
in 2006, for use on crewed
U.S. Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...
aircraft.
In late 2010, the ISR Task Force and Army requested a version of Constant Hawk for aerostats. Contracted through the
U.S. Naval Air Systems Command, the Kestrel program delivered four units
the following year.
However, these first four Kestrels lacked an infrared capability,
and by June 2012, were replaced by 10 day/night systems and six spares.
In 2017, Logos Technologies unveiled its even lighter Kestrel Block II wide-area motion imagery system at th
International Defence Exhibition & Conference in Abu Dhabi. This new sensor saw its first sale to a military customer the following year.
Capabilities
Kestrel employs six cameras housed in a gimbal, providing a 360-degree panoramic view of “a city-sized” area”
in medium resolution.
The system allows operators to track multiple suspects at once
and can automatically monitor user-designated zones.
Kestrel transmits imagery to the user in real time and can also record up to 30 days of events.
The next-generation Kestrel Block II shares those same capabilities, but in a smaller and lighter form factor (less than 85 pounds, or 40 kg, versus 150 pounds, or 68 kg).
Civilian Use
The Kestrel system also has applications for border security. In March 2012, the
Science and Technology Directorate of the Department of Homeland Security conducted a seven-day demonstration of Kestrel in Nogales, Ariz.
Kestrel was mounted on an aerostat and worked in coordination with a high-resolution full motion video camera.
The purpose of the test was to see how well Kestrel could detect and track illegal entrants, drug smugglers and gunrunners crossing the
U.S.-Mexican border.
Since its deployment in Afghanistan and testing along the U.S.-Mexico border, Kestrel has led to the development of other wide-area sensors, such as Simera. Also an aerostat-mounted system, Simera is composed of 13 electro-optical cameras and weighs only 40lbs. However, unlike the original Kestrel system, Simera is exportable to non-U.S. countries. Four units were used by Brazil’s Ministry of Justice at the 2016 Olympics, in Rio de Janeiro.
[Dellinger, A.J.]
The privacy issue at the Olympics no one is talking about
The Daily Dot. 6 August 2016. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
See also
•
Autonomous Real-Time Ground Ubiquitous Surveillance Imaging System (ARGUS-IS)
•
Constant Hawk
CorvusEye 1500
•
Gorgon Stare
Gorgon Stare is a video capture technology developed by the United States military. It is a spherical array of nine cameras attached to an aerial drone. The US Air Force calls it "wide-area surveillance sensor system".
•
Redkite
•
Wide-area_motion_imagery Wide-area motion imagery (WAMI) is an approach to surveillance, reconnaissance, and intelligence-gathering that employs specialized software and a powerful camera system—usually airborne, and for extended periods of time—to detect and track hund ...
References
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Aerostats
Military intelligence collection
Surveillance