Controp releases lightweight high-definition EO/IR camera payload for helicopters
Controp Precision Technologies (Hod Hasharon, Israel), which specializes in electro-optics (EO) and infrared (IR) defense and homeland security systems, has released a high-definition (HD) EO/IR camera payload, called the SHAPO-HD, for use on helicopters. The new payload is the HD version of the current SHAPO system, which is installed on the BELL 206 and AS350.
The gyro-stabilized payload, which has a 9.4 in. diameter and weighs 24 lb., contains a high-resolution thermal camera with a 15X continuous zoom lens and a HD color continuous-zoom day camera with a low-light mode; optional are a laser rangefinder and or laser pointer.
Johnny Carni, the company's VP of marketing, notes that the SHAPO-HD payload is useful for day and night surveillance applications, particularly on small helicopters such as the line of Robinson (Torrance, CA) civil helicopters.
The introduction of the new SHAPO-HD rounds out Controp's family of EO/IR payloads with HD capabilities, which also includes the DSP-HD (a 14-in.-diameter, 66 lb. EO/IR camera system) and the QUAD-HD. Other helicopters that Controp's EO/IR camera payloads are installed on include the Mi-17, Mi-24, Bell 407, Kamov, and Eurocopter EC-145.
SHAPO-HD and DSP-HD are in the process of FAA STC for installation on Airbus Helicopters H125 and H145 for a customer that has procured the systems. The certificates are expected to be obtained by the end of this year. Controp's devices are used for security of borders, coastlines, seaports, and harbors by detecting trespassers, swimmers, small boats, and so on.
For more info, see www.controp.com
Source: Controp
John Wallace | Senior Technical Editor (1998-2022)
John Wallace was with Laser Focus World for nearly 25 years, retiring in late June 2022. He obtained a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and physics at Rutgers University and a master's in optical engineering at the University of Rochester. Before becoming an editor, John worked as an engineer at RCA, Exxon, Eastman Kodak, and GCA Corporation.