TRW's Hunter UAV Adds Chemical Threat Detection as Tactical Tool.

Business Editors/High Tech Writers

CARSON, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 20, 2000

With results in from a recent experiment, the Hunter Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), maintained by TRW Inc. (NYSE: TRW) for the U.S. Army, now adds chemical threat detection as part of its proven intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance tactical capabilities.

The onboard payload, called SAFEGUARD, provides the Army's Hunter UAVs with the ability to detect and quantify chemical threat clouds on an active battlefield or in peacekeeping missions. With this critical situational awareness information, commanders not only will be able to keep pilots out of harm's way but their ground troops as well when performing these missions.

Last year, the U.S. Army Soldier and Biological Command (SBCCOM) conducted a controlled experiment at Fort Riley, Kan., where a non-hazardous chemical vapor was released by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, following all environmental and Occupational Safety and Health Agency regulations. Hunter, carrying its largest and heaviest payload ever, flew four data collection missions, each consisting of 15 passes over and near the chemical cloud to collect data using a high-resolution infrared line scanner and a fast scanning, thermally stabilized Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectrometer. Because of the advanced infrared technology, it was not necessary to fly through the cloud.

The government team, led by representatives from SBCCOM's Edgewood Chemical Biological Center, Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Md., and the TUAV Project Office, Huntsville, Ala., analyzed the data samples collected on each mission and confirmed the accuracy of the information conveyed by the SAFEGUARD line scanner and FTIR payloads. The Hunter UAV's ability to fly lower and slower data collection flight profiles, which may be dangerous for manned aircraft, resulted in better data collection and chemical identification than in prior experiments. The sensor suite had been demonstrated previously on a fixed wing aircraft for controlled chemical vapor releases, industrial monitoring experiments, and a bomb damage assessment demonstration. SAFEGUARD is currently the only national asset that provides a wide-area image of a chemical threat using a low-altitude airborne platform.

Several follow-on efforts are anticipated, according to Doug Valenzuela, TRW's UAV Payload Integration Manager, involving downsized sensors, improved computer software, and a data link to provide real-time chemical detection data to soldiers. These experiments are expected to be performed within the next 18 months.

A blue ribbon committee of academicians from various universities and professionals from government laboratories and industry oversees the SAFEGUARD research program. Dr. W. G. Fateley, committee chair and professor emeritus of chemistry at Kansas State University, said the demonstration was a complete success and proved that the SAFEGUARD system can be successfully operated on a UAV.

TRW Inc. provides advanced technology products and services to the automotive, aerospace, and information systems markets worldwide. For more information, visit http://www.trw.com .