L-3 wins $23M delivery order for 600 VideoScout-MC systems for use on manned and Unmanned Aerial Systems

L-3 Communications announced today that its Advanced Products and Design unit has been awarded a $23.2 million delivery order to provide 600 VideoScout-MC mobile video exploitation and management systems to the United States Marine Corps. These systems enhance portable equipment currently in use by adding video imagery in real-time, which improves situational awareness. Production of these units is underway, with deliveries expected in the fourth quarter of 2008.

L-3 Advanced Products & Design has been awarded a $23, 237,230.00 delivery order to provide 600 VideoScout-MC mobile video exploitation and management systems to support the Target Location, Designation and Hand-Off System (TLDHS) suite of man-portable equipment currently deployed to accurately and digitally transmit data to acquire targets for fire support.

“Over the past four years, we have worked with warfighters to develop a lightweight, interoperable video exploitation and management system that helps forward personnel directly capture and quickly leverage the video they receive from unmanned aerial systems to support field operations,” stated Larry Vernec, senior vice president of marketing and strategic business development. “The result is the VideoScout-MC, a powerful, highly portable system that not only allows fielded personnel to receive video from a variety of aerial and ground-based sensors, but easily share that data across the battle space for mission planning, targeting, mission execution, battle damage assessment and post mission analysis.”

The Marine Corps will be receiving the mobile VideoScout-MC laptop computer with integrated multi-band receivers. VideoScout-MC captures video and metadata directly from Unmanned Aerial System (UAS), targeting PODs, intelligence feeds and other common sensors, and allows users to view, archive, annotate, geo-reference and disseminate relevant, actionable video intelligence to others. Video and metadata can also be paused, zoomed, annotated and recorded in real-time to improve situational awareness. Video and metadata are stored and indexed automatically for subsequent search and retrieval. VideoScout’s flexibility, portability and interoperability accommodate other 3rd party applications, providing field personnel with the ability to use VideoScout as a remote video terminal.

“While traditional systems mainly capture, view and record video, VideoScout-MC provides an all-in-one video acquisition, exploitation and management system that also offers plug and play compatibility with existing computer networks and transmission systems to easily share valuable video data from forward positions to field INTEL and tactical operations centers,” continued Vernec. “The laptop runs in a Windows environment, allowing other applications such as email, chat, Word, PowerPoint and Internet communications, as well as mission critical applications such as targeting, Ground Control Station and FalconView maps to run on the same system. This alleviates the need for additional equipment and simplifies start-up and training time.”