US missile range upgrades to digital cameras

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Mar 22, 2005

Photron USA has been awarded the contract from White Sands Missile Range to supply high speed digital camera systems to replace aging 16 and 35mm high speed film cameras currently in use.

Photron USA, a global manufacturer of advanced high speed, high resolution imaging systems, has been awarded the contract from White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) to supply the advanced Ultima APX-RS line of high speed digital camera systems to replace aging 16 and 35mm high speed film cameras currently in use.

The initial contract for 26 cameras, in excess of $2 million, will begin the process of replacing up to 75 high speed film cameras at White Sands MR.

The open procurement guidelines from WSMR invited all high speed video systems manufacturers to provide quotes for digital high speed cameras with baseline specifications of megapixel (1000 x 1000) resolution at 1000frame/s with a minimum record time of at least 8s and gigabit Ethernet compatibility.

The lengthy list of potential vendors was reduced to three finalists.

WSMR purchased one camera from each of the three competitors for evaluation and independent field testing.

White Sands Missile Range engineers, NewTec, the contractor responsible for range operations at WSMR, and an independent testing house, Electro Optical Industries, Santa Barbara, California, combined their test results and found that Photron's Ultima APX-RS exceeded specifications and performance requirements.

Seventeen colour Ultima APX-RS cameras, equipped with gigabit Ethernet and 16Gbyte of memory for 12s of record time at 1000frame/s, and nine monochrome (black and white) APX-RS cameras, similarly equipped, will fulfill the first order.

Mark Green, President of Digital West Imaging, Photron's strategic partner and distributor for New Mexico, notes: "We are delighted to win this major COTS contract from White Sands Missile Range to deliver the initial order for 26 cameras in April, 2005".

"The long range plan is to replace all 16, 35 and 70mm high speed film cameras at WSMR with new, digital high speed systems".

"We look forward to working closely with WSMR to meet this challenge".

Photron's Ultima APX-RS slow motion video imager can capture 3000frame/s at 1024 x 1024 pixel resolution, and up to 10,000frame/s at 512 x 512 pixel resolution with an unparalleled 250,000frame/s at reduced resolution.

Easy-to-use, the high speed CMOS sensor features true 10bit monochrome (30bit colour) fidelity and excellent anti-blooming properties with variable aspect ratios (square or rectangular).

The rugged, single-piece housing is designed for harsh conditions to operate reliably in truly hostile environments up to 100g.