City-wide imaging sensor flies on US drone
Logos Technologies' BlackKite pod can image a 16 square kilometre area at 12,000ft. (Photo: Logos Technologies)
Logos Technologies, a subsidiary of Elbit Systems of America, has seen its BlackKite IR wide-area motion imagery (WAMI) pod flown on a US Army UAS for the first time.
The pod, which can image, track and record hundreds of targets moving across an area the size of a city, featured in an experimental long-range detection and identification missions during the EDGE 23 demonstration event.
Held at Yuma proving ground in May, the pod flew on a Group 4 UAS serving as a surrogate platform for the US Army’s future Air-Launched Effects (ALE) drone.
Logos Technologies VP of business development Doug Rombough said: ‘We demonstrated how our lightweight BlackKite pod could be used in the long-range detection of enemy vehicles and air defence systems,
Related Articles
Hensoldt develops demonstrator SIGINT pod for Eurodrone
Iraq emerges as customer for Turkish Aselpod airborne targeting system
Prototype quantum navigation sensor tested on Royal Navy experiments ship
‘And even though the Group 4 UAS was only meant to serve as a surrogate for ALE, we also showed how our platform-agnostic BlackKite pod could work with long-endurance Group 4 UAS.’
Weighing 17kg in the podded version, BlackKite can be mounted on planes, helicopters, and Group 3 (or larger) UAS.
At an altitude of 12,000ft, BlackKite can image a 16 square kilometre area.
More from Air Warfare
-
![Only 25% of the US Pentagon’s F-35 fleet has been fully mission capable, GAO says]()
Only 25% of the US Pentagon’s F-35 fleet has been fully mission capable, GAO says
The fighter jet remains a combat necessity, but sustainment challenges continue to limit its readiness. In the meantime, the US Air Force seeks billions in funding to improve the F-35's availability.
-
![Eurosatory 2026: How the deep-strike, loitering munition market skyrocketed to $13.8 billion in three years]()
Eurosatory 2026: How the deep-strike, loitering munition market skyrocketed to $13.8 billion in three years
Ukraine’s rapid development of long-range, deep-strike loitering munitions has helped turn the sector into a market worth an estimated US$13.2 billion. The reasons behind this were outlined during Eurosatory 2026, as other countries embark on the early stages of procuring this capability.
-
![Eurosatory 2026: Why security agencies are expanding UAS operations across Europe]()
Eurosatory 2026: Why security agencies are expanding UAS operations across Europe
Uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) are an increasingly important tool for Europe’s law enforcement and public security agencies, with the past two years seeing rapid growth in operational deployment, procurement and regulatory acceptance.
-
![Fuselage of the first US Army MV-75 Cheyenne tiltrotor “is nearing completion”]()
Fuselage of the first US Army MV-75 Cheyenne tiltrotor “is nearing completion”
Bell is advancing construction of the US Army’s next-generation MV-75 Cheyenne tiltrotor as FLRAA programme approaches testing, production and future battlefield deployment.
