L-3 Communications’ [LLL] Mission Integration Division (MID) Friday debuted SPYDR the next-generation, small, manned airborne Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (ISR) platform at the U.K. 2011 Royal International Air Tattoo.
SPYDR is designed for military and civilian customers looking for flexible, multiple intelligence solutions.
The name is derived from Spiderworks, L-3 MID’s strategic initiatives team. SPYDR is a complete processing, exploitation and dissemination (PED) system that accurately acquires information to be made actionable, the company said in a statement.
The platform-independent SPYDR debuted on the King Air 350 platform, one of many platforms onto which the company has integrated ISR systems.
“Today’s complex ISR environment requires complete end-to-end solutions that are as nimble and adaptive as the targets they track,” said Mark Von Schwarz, president of L-3 MID. “SPYDR technology casts an inescapable web that captures mission-critical intelligence and disseminates real-time actionable information in the field.”
The SPYDR platform features full-motion video, signals intelligence (SIGINT), line-of-sight communications, primary mission equipment, self-protection sensors and systems and various mission configurations.
Built using a modular, spiral approach, the platform is reconfigurable to react quickly and adapt to new and emerging mission requirements. New technologies can be phased in based on new innovations and customer budgets.
Some of SPYDR’s technology insertion options include: Wide Area Surveillance System, updated Tactical Common Data Link, Wing Tip Pod Sensors, maritime radar, Ka/Ku-band satellite data link, new SIGINT technologies, associated ground systems, 4G airborne cell, multi-INT training and troop-level human machine interfaces.
Von Schwarz said, “Our investments in people, and infrastructure enabled us to develop a process for rapid delivery and total life-cycle support. L-3 has a committed team and existing global supply chain, as well as a proven track record in integrating ISR aircraft. No other provider has delivered one aircraft every 13 days operational to the field, generating intelligence that saved lives on day one.”