Kestrel is a

wide-area motion imagery Wide-area motion imagery (WAMI) is an approach to surveillance, reconnaissance, and Military intelligence, intelligence-gathering that employs specialized software and a powerful camera system—usually airborne, and for extended periods of time� ...

(or persistent surveillance) system used on

aerostats An aerostat (, via French) or lighter-than-air aircraft is an aircraft that relies on buoyancy to maintain flight. Aerostats include unpowered balloons (free-flying or tethered) and powered airships. The relative density of an aerostat as a w ...

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) is 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 success. It ...

and

overwatch ''Overwatch'' (abbreviated as OW) is a multimedia franchise centered on a series of multiplayer first-person shooter (FPS) video games developed by Blizzard Entertainment. ''Overwatch (video game), Overwatch'' was released in 2016 with a success ...

to troops.

Development

Kestrel has its roots in

Constant Hawk Constant Hawk is a United States Army wide-area motion imagery system flown on crewed reconnaissance aircraft in Iraq and Afghanistan. Constant Hawk was the first airborne Wide Area Persistent Sensor developed and deployed by the United States. It ...

, 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 primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

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.

References

{{reflist * * * * Aerostats Military intelligence collection Surveillance

Development

Capabilities

Civilian Use

See also

References