Hensoldt’s BAA II for German Fenneks

Hensoldt has received an order to supply an additional 30 BAA II surveillance and reconnaissance systems for the Fennek light armoured reconnaissance vehicle for German Army Joint Fire Support Teams (JFST), the company announced on 3 November.

The contract worth $15.45 million also includes 35 RFK II rear view cameras, with the integration of all optronic devices expected to be completed by 2022.

The BAA II observation and reconnaissance system is equipped with a high resolution CCD camera and the ATTICA thermal imager. The image fusion function of the system combines the data of the thermal imager with that of the daytime camera. This enables the soldier to recognise details not visible to the human eye and then take the best decision on the basis of the optimised image.

The BAA II consists of an eye-safe laser rangefinder and a laser target illuminator. The target data identified by the BAA II can be processed by the ADLER combat and weapon control system. The ATTICA and the CCD daytime camera offer four fields of view, providing the viewer with a broad overview as well as the possibility to recognise even the smallest details. The surveillance and reconnaissance platform allows the user to recognise targets at a distance of up to 16kms and to accurately identify them at up to 5kms.

With new image processing software, the user no longer is required to watch the screen continuously. The automatic motion detection warns the user when a potential threat approaches.

The rear view camera RFK II is an uncooled thermal imager, providing visibility for the driver in bad weather and low light conditions. With a field of view of 55° x 41°, the RFK II can detect a NATO standard target at a distance of one kilometer.