Textron Defense Systems has announced today that the MicroObserver Unattended Ground Sensor (UGS) system has been named one of this year “Big 25” intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) innovations and products by the C4ISR Journal, which serves as a vital networking and ISR related news source and will be honoring the Big 25 innovators at the 11th“C4ISR Journal Conference & Big 25 Awards at Washington, D.C. from 27 to 28 October, 2011.
The MicroObserver UGS system is capable of tracking and detecting personnel and vehicles for border security, perimeter defense, protection of critical infrastructure, force protection and round-the-clock surveillance. The US Army has deployed the UGS system in Afghanistan for force protection and remote surveillance.
As part of DRS Technologies’ Distant Sentry border security program, the system has also been deployed in the Middle East. An official statement from DRS acknowledges the long mission life, low rate of false alarm and the longevity of the MicroObserver ground sensor system.
The UGS system integrates the Maestro M-100 Gateway and advanced detection algorithms to ensure system efficiency. The ground system does not require any external cables and its nodes are placed underground to ensure covertness. The MicroObserver uses an advanced hub-and-spoke architecture and can communicate to a range of up to 10 km using radio, thus reducing system power drain.
The Senior Vice President of Textron Defense Systems, Ellen Lord stated that only one day training is required for the use of the UGS system and it can be deployed rapidly. Furthermore, the sensor nodes are capable of geo-locating automatically and can be easily activated. It is a self-healing, self- forming and self-configuring system which adapts to radio frequency and does not require constant user intervention.
Source: http://www.textrondefense.com