The miniaturization trend of optoelectronic gimbal cameras, makes laser guided weapons no longer “outdated”

 

Talking about the laser guided weapons are outdated topic, we believe it is not entirely correct, and not entirely wrong. Judging from the current US military precision guided weapons, joint guided attack weapons, such as JDAM and JSOW, have become the mainstream. These weapons are characterized by low cost and high lethality. Due to the use of INS inertial navigation and GPS guidance modes, therefore, it is not affected by the climate and does not need to be checked after launch.

 

The reason why JDAM missiles are easy to modify is because guidance heads are added to the original unguided weapons MK-84\82. The 2000 pound JDAM sells for only $37000. At the same time, compare the latest version of the laser guided bomb GBU-24 Gem Path III price is up to $137000, which is actually one of the reasons for "outdated".

 

Another major factor is that laser guided weapons are affected by the weather and cannot be used in dense fog, and there is no need for continuous lighting after launch, which undoubtedly increases the risk of fighter plane.

 

However, compared to JDAM, laser guided weapons also have its advantages. It’s flexible and high accuracy, especially when attacking moving targets. Because the latter one used GPS guidance, the fighter's airborne fire control radar will import coordinate data into the bomb before launch, and it cannot be modified after launch. Although there are currently some versions that can be modified, the operation is very laborious.

 

In order to achieve better combat effectiveness, the US military has created JTAC, full name is Joint Terminal Attack Controller. They typically carry a multi band radio, binoculars with built-in laser indicators, and "wearable computers" for digitizing and coordinating near ground support.

 

As stated earlier, laser guided weapons are more suitable for attacking moving targets, and these types of targets generally appear immediately during cruise. At this time, it is necessary for the JTAC to inform the pilot of the coordinates and laser code. The pilot can synchronize the laser code of the higher fighter with the JTAC. After reaching the target area, the JTAC will guide and attack the target, and the combat aircraft can quickly leave the theater.

 

With the strengthening of current situation awareness, JTAC is also increasingly replaced by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which have a small body and low noise, and can track targets or collect information for a long time. This Russia-Ukraine conflict also shows that for general UAVs like TB-2, no matter western or Russian anti-aircraft missiles can effectively attack them at present.

Spears and shields are mutually exclusive. The miniaturization of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and the miniaturization of optoelectronic gimbals have become the mainstream. Miniaturized UAVs gimbal camera can be used in a wider range of environments. Soldiers like JTAC will use small optoelectronic gimbals on UAVs and synchronously transmit images to eyeglasses as display screens, which can increase their combat range and effectiveness in a single soldier state. At close range, it is possible to use its own individual equipment to conduct complete reconnaissance and obtain target information. At slightly distant locations, it is possible to use UAVs for phased tracking. This system is not far away, Topotek's new system will be come out soon.

 

As mentioned above, one important reason why the US military is equipped with JDAM bombs in a large area is that they are cheap. Therefore, the miniaturization of the optoelectronic gimbal camera must also follow the route of high quality and low cost. The recently launched 3-axis and 2-axis optoelectronic gimbal with lightweight less than 200 grams, which is very suitable for individual soldiers. Such as the 3-axis KHP290G609, integrating 1080P visible light +640 * 512 pixels thermal imaging, is very suitable for installation on UAVs, The DYK290G609 2-axis are more often equipped on small unmanned equipment such as helmets, artillery shells, patrol missiles, and so on. In fact, UAVs are consumables, which is said by the chief designer of Rainbow UAVs. I agree with this point of view, because from the Russia-Ukraine conflict, UAVs are indeed consumables. In reconnaissance, rescue and other tasks, 10x optical zoom single light is more appropriate. The KIP10S35 and KHP10S90 series gimbal created by Topotek are mainly aimed at low-end consumer markets, with 10x optical zoom and 9x digital zoom, giving UAVs a pair of eagle eyes and low cost, KIP10S35 only costs $440. It can meet large-scale consumption in battlefield, rescue, and reconnaissance. Meanwhile, many Topotek optoelectronic gimbal camera support customized, which means it can be integrated laser rangefinder, AI tracking, and other functions. Topotek is a professional company specializing in the research and developing drone gimbal, has definite technology strength and it is in an absolutely leading position.

【TOPOTEK：http:www.topotek.com】

Sophia Gao   Sophia Gao  0086-13777383916 

   0086-13777383916     sophia@topotek.com

Changing the game of war with cruise missiles, talking about the difficulty of choosing Gimbal camera

 I don't know if you still remember the movie "The Fall of Angels", in which US President Morgan Freeman was caught in a drone terrorist attack while fishing. The accompanying security personnel were completely wiped out in a drone suicide attack, and only one bodyguard survived the attack. In the video, after being released, the drone swarm flew skyward over the target, followed by a suicide attack. Trained and well-equipped security personnel were unable to parry during the attack, quickly annihilating the entire army in a series of explosions, and the drone swarm battle scene left a deep impression on the audience.

Many military fans should have been shocked by this scene, and their minds may also be frantic about how to defend against such attacks, or whether such attacks will occur in reality. Two years later, in 2021, the Israeli military officially acknowledged the use of a large number of AI assisted drones in the air and missile attacks on Gaza in May of that year. This military attack should be considered the first actual combat of drone swarms in public information. Drone swarm attack has many advantages, such as large attack area, difficulty in defense, and economic benefits. At the Zhuhai Air Show in China, a swarm launch vehicle was also displayed, launching 200 drones at a time, forming a huge swarm, with multiple mission capabilities such as precise formation, changing formation, ground observation, and precise strike, which greatly enhances the strike effect.

From a technical point of view, the drone technology of Bee Swarm is not the most advanced. It mainly refers to a large number of mediocre and inexpensive drones. A war group that forms a whole and enforces orders and prohibitions. This allows the drone to perform a function of 1+1 greater than 2. Even if it is discovered, the target is too powerful to be attacked. Buzzers engaged in combat can also directly disperse and retreat, preserving their combat power for the next battle. In popular terms, it is decentralized and can be dynamically aggregated. It has greatly improved the survival rate of the drone fleet in the battlefield, as well as the penetration ability. This will also ensure the achievement of operational objectives.

To achieve such an effect, there must be strict restrictions on the size of drones. A cruise missile such as a spring knife is 2.5 kilograms in size, while a drone with a swarm of bees needs to be made smaller and cheaper to implement the swarm strategy. The miniaturization of drones requires miniaturization of the photoelectric pod, otherwise it cannot be matched at all, and in order to facilitate all-weather strikes, After the miniaturization of the photoelectric pod, there can be no compromise in terms of technical parameters. TOPOTEK's KHP290G609/207 series photoelectric pod meets all the requirements mentioned above. Firstly, its weight is very light, only 0.2 kg, and it is equipped with dual optical lenses, high-definition visible light, and 640 thermal imaging. It also has tracking functions. In order to clearly observe the target, it provides intimate support for 9 times digital zoom. Subsequent products can also carry laser ranging according to customer requirements, becoming a three light photoelectric pod, but its weight will increase somewhat, But it will not exceed 0.23 kg. According to customer requirements, it can also be customized into a two axis photoelectric pod, which is more robust.

At present, TOPOTEK is also actively expanding the market for small photoelectric pods. Currently, TOPOTEK has begun to develop dual optical pods of around 0.1 kg, which are functionally equivalent to the 0.2 kg photoelectric pods currently being put into mass production. In addition, the entire series of products are equipped with visible light high-definition cameras, thermal imaging, and tracking recognition functions as standard.

The current conflict between Russia-Ukraine conflict has shown us the role of UAVs in the construction of national defense, so it has created a sharp increase in the scale of the global UAV market. As the eyes of drone bees, photoelectric pods directly affect the key to whether this type of equipment can play its value. With the in-depth application of new generation information technology, the market has higher requirements for photoelectric pods, promoting the development of the photoelectric pod industry towards intelligence, miniaturization, integration, and other directions. According to an analysis report published by the American Journal of Aeronautics and Space Technology, from 2015 to 2024, the global total expenditure on military unmanned aerial vehicles increased from 5.7 billion US dollars to 11.5 billion US dollars, with a compound growth rate of 6.33%. The total expenditure will reach 81 billion US dollars, and the total amount of photoelectric pods will accumulate to nearly 10 billion US dollars.

In fact, before the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, China had been vigorously developing various technologies of unmanned aerial vehicles. In 2019, the market size of the military photoelectric pod in China was close to 8.3 billion yuan, accounting for 55% of the total market size of the photoelectric pod. The aviation photoelectric pods are mainly military, civil, industrial and police grade. TOPOTEK is one of the various enterprises engaged in research and production of unmanned aerial vehicle photoelectric pods in China. TOPOTEK adheres to obtaining market trust with first-class quality and winning customers with high-quality service. Committed to providing customers with more advanced photoelectric pods and strive hard.

TOPOTEK：http://www.topotek.com

From the earthquake in Türkiye, how to select small and medium-sized UAVs - Global camera

 The 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Türkiye on February 6 caused a large number of casualties. As of February 13 local time, the earthquake had caused more than 35000 deaths in Türkiye and Syria. China was also the first country to send out a search and rescue team. We all know that the role of drones in disaster relief is beyond doubt. In recent years, in Dashui, Henan Province, drones can also be seen. However, for disaster relief, in the face of a wide variety of pods, how can we choose the appropriate pods to play a greater role?

A pod is a streamlined short segment that is installed with certain airborne equipment or weapons and suspended under the fuselage or wing. In recent years, with the continuous development of military and civil technology, UAVs have gradually become the protagonist from a supporting role. Compared with manned aircraft, UAVs are often more suitable for those tasks that are more "dirty or dangerous". UAVs can play a good role in aerial photography, agriculture, environmental protection, disaster relief, police monitoring and other aspects. To maximize the value of UAVs, Choosing a different Gimbal camera becomes particularly important.

The Gimbal camera for unmanned aerial vehicles is based on inertial navigation technology, which can effectively isolate the angular motion interference caused by carrier motion on photoelectric sensors. According to the interface output, it can be divided into single light, dual light, and three light, and can be divided into two axes and three axes according to the type. According to different application scenarios and customer needs, appropriate pods are selected. Moreover, due to the relatively light volume of the drone, for the Gimbal camera, Weight is also a factor that must be considered.

For the earthquake relief in Türkiye, the first thing to choose a suitable pod is to clarify the task. I think there are two key points. The first is to quickly obtain high-resolution photographic images or videos, and then transmit the information obtained to the rescue command center. The second is to find survivors in the ruins. In this case, The pod needs to have a good large magnification of visible light zoom and relatively high-definition thermal imaging capabilities. TOPOTEK's KIP30S4KG613 and KIP30S4KG619 are very consistent with the above standards. Both have 30 times optical zoom+640 thermal imaging, with visible light pixels reaching 8 million. However, the former has a focal length of 13 mm, and the latter has a 19 mm. The all-metal shell ensures its robustness in performing disaster relief tasks, and its weight is only 980 grams, It is very suitable for the disaster relief environment of medium-sized unmanned aerial vehicles.

However, we also found that in some fixed areas of disaster relief, small drones are needed to follow up and search for survivors under buildings. TOPOTEK's SIP640G13 is more suitable, which is a 13 mm focal length single thermal imaging 640 * 512 resolution network output thermal imaging three-axis small pod. Its low weight can make it well adapted to various types of small unmanned aerial vehicles, not only increasing its endurance, but also providing high-resolution thermal imaging, which can keep it in working condition for a long time. It can dynamically display the thermal imaging of people trapped under the ruins in real-time, facilitating the rescue team to correct the rescue methods, and providing valuable time for rescuing survivors.

As we all know, there is a saying for earthquake disaster relief, which is "golden 72 hours of life rescue",

On the first day (i.e. within 24 hours), the survival rate of the rescued personnel is around 90%;

On the second day, the survival rate was 50% - 60%;

On the third day, the survival rate was between 20% and 30%.

In the future, there is only a 5 to 10 percent chance of survival.

The role of UAVs in the golden 72 hours is very critical, and the most important part of this is that users should be able to select appropriate and reliable UAV pods. TOPOTEK's Gimbal camera, as the core module of UAVs, has now occupied most of the UAV market in the zoom industry. In Türkiye, many rescue teams equipped with TOPOTEK pods from various countries also frequently appeared at the disaster relief site, Creating miracles.  

TOPOTEK：http://www.topotek.com