BAE Systems Launches New Uncooled Infrared Camera for Thermal Imaging

BAE Systems is introducing a new product - the Pole Mounted Camera (PMC) 300 - an uncooled infrared (IR) camera for long-range day and night surveillance and vision enhancement.

The PMC300 camera, developed by BAE Systems in Lexington, Mass., is the first environmentally qualified, uncooled 640x480 infrared camera designed for day and night surveillance and general imaging applications. Based on the company's advanced 640x480 MicroIR technology, the PMC300 generates high-resolution thermal imagery capable of meeting mission detection requirements at distances once limited to cooled IR cameras.

Dave Smialek, BAE Systems' business development manager at Lexington, said, "The IR camera provides four times the resolution of 320x240 based cameras, resulting in more pixels being placed on target for enhanced detection and recognition performance." Smialek added that increased resolution also proves beneficial when interfacing with third-party automated video surveillance systems for the same reason -- more pixels on target.

"The PMC300 generates unparalleled day and night thermal imagery for the most demanding surveillance and vision enhancement applications," said Dennis Long, BAE Systems' commercial MicroIR camera product manager.

Based on a modular design, the PMC300 sets a new standard for configuration flexibility and low cost of ownership. A family of lenses, ranging from 18 millimeters wide to 100/300 millimeters dual field of view, lets users match lenses to their needs with the flexibility of changing lenses in the field to meet new mission requirements. This unique capability, coupled with the unit's versatile mounting bracket and standard RS-422 control interface, provides a system designed for rapid, mission-specific deployment.

BAE Systems is an international company engaged in the development, delivery and support of advanced defense and aerospace systems in the air, on land, at sea and in space. BAE Systems' Information & Electronic Systems Integration Sector (IESI) is a leader in situational awareness, electronic attack and defensive systems solutions for the U.S. battle space market. It provides and supports innovative capabilities-based solutions for U.S. Defense, Intelligence and Homeland Security customers.