Burlington-based L-3 WESCAM has received an order from Bond Helicopters Europe for seven of its MX-10 electro-optical and infrared (EO/IR) imaging systems.
The order, announced on Tuesday, will support the U.K. National Police Air Service EC135T2 helicopter upgrade program.
Deliveries to the U.K. will be phased over two years, beginning with the first unit in December 2014.
While Bond Helicopters will oversee installation of the turrets, maintenance and in-country support will be performed by L-3 WESCAM service centers in the U.K.
According to L-3, selection of the MX-10 followed extensive helicopter flight testing and successful trials of the turret on the police air service’s fixed-wing aircraft.
“The MX-10 was the smallest and lightest solution bid for the program, and its flight trials successfully delivered the required standoff performance and high-resolution video specified in the NPAS tender,” said Paul Jennison, vice president of government sales and business development for L-3 WESCAM.
Currently, L-3 WESCAM has over 200 EO/IR and targeting systems operating in the U.K.
With fully active 4-axis MX-Series stabilization, the MX-10s will be configured with advanced sensors, featuring a four field-of-view thermal imager, daylight continuous zoom TV, low-light continuous zoom TV and a suite of MX-GEO technologies that will provide the accurate geographical location of subjects, as well as advanced tracking assistance. In addition, the systems will directly interface to other key mission system components, including CarteNav’s AIMS-ISR mission system software and Avalex Technologies’ high-definition displays and digital video recorders.