PARIS — FLIR, makers of many of the sensor pods seen under U.S. drones, have turned their attention to outfitting all terrain vehicles with similar sorts of spy gear for border patrols and special forces teams.
FLIR unveiled the Command Post Cerberus sensor system integrated onto a Polaris light tactical all terrain vehicle here at the Eurosatory international land warfare conference. The ATV itself isn’t new, and neither are the sensors. What is new is packaging FLIR’s sensor suite onto an ATV that a special forces team could easily load onto a CH-47 helicopter to rapidly deploy.
FLIR engineers installed a stabilized gimbal with thermal and day camera, laser rangefinder and laser illuminator/pointer. The systems features HD color, either a sea surveillance radar or any of the FLIR Ranger radars, and a network video recorder.
It was designed for wireless streaming to remote locations. A driver and passenger can view the feeds on a Panasonic rugged tabled PC installed in front of the passenger seat.
FLIR builds three variants of the Cerberus. The MX, TX and LX will vary in the length of its range, quality of the imager, and the type of radar.
Polaris’ ATV can reach speeds up to 65 miles per hour with a mission endurance of 24 hours.
However, the Command Post Cerberus was designed to be installed onto multiple vehicles. For example, border patrols can install the system onto a pick-up truck.
FLIR spokesman James Pinsky could not confirm what countries have contacted the company since it was released this week. However, he said he could see potential interest coming from countries like India and Pakistan looking to provide their border patrol units with sensor equipment.
Lets also not forget the potential these ATVs could provide to some extremely wealthy hunters. Bambi could run but she couldn’t hide.
– Mike Hoffman
{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }
Another V-22 has crashed. All 5 crew were injured, but no word on their condition yet. Let's just go ahead and call it "pilot error" now and save the taxpayer a lot of money spent on excuses for that crappy program. Providing a defense contractor $1.10 for every $1.00 they spend makes them plenty of money, but it sure as hell doesn't provide us with great weapons. What a great gravy train that has been. http://www.nwfdailynews.com/news/aircraft-50338-c…
And that is relevant to the FLIR ATV how?
Regards & all,
Thomas L. Nielsen
Luxembourg
I'm sure the math would be beyond your pay grade.
You're an idiot, can you go get some meds for your OCD disorder? It's bad enough you post the same stupid S when there is even a reason to talk about the $ contractors make, now you post the same tired BS when it isn't even relevant. You're right up there with puckingdog and passingby and Oblat/itfunk, and all the other insane tool swith disorders that can't give their favorite drum a rest, go away for Christ sake.
In my experience, maths are usually employed by the lower pay grades (that's me) – the higher pay grades usually just get the Big Picture (preferably in colour, with no difficult words – like "and" or "the").
But I fail to see (probably due to that pesky low pay grade) how maths is required to explain how the crash of a V-22 is relevant to an ATV with spy gear?
Regards & all,
Thomas L. Nielsen
Luxembourg
Love your work. Stick it to the fool.
I think I'll get myself a FLIR ATV and then produce a series for the DISCOVERY channel about hunting wild hogs. Maybe I'll call it, Search for Hogzilla! They can put me in the timeslot between Deadliest Catch and Hillbilly Handfishing.
Don't sell to Pakistan. The military may be crossing the border again soon…?
true, on the Bamby front…and very sad…bought some FLIR equipment recently,…while looking online forums, it is sad to see how some many people have spent lot's of money to hunt innocent deer and pigs with very expensive military equipment :'(
whats really sad is that equipment not being more available so we can kill even more bambis. but on a serious note the better and cheaper they become on the civvy market the better it will be for the military. because companys will self invest in new technology and us taxpayers wont have to pay for it and more companys will pop up allowing more competition better pricing and better variety
It also raises the specter of such equipment proliferating overseas as well. What are you going to do, put export controls on it and hope nothing makes it out of the country?
Then again, one of the fundamentals of insurgency is using the enemy as your supplier. First from leakage by attacking his supply convoys, and eventually when their native army units defect to your side.
you are evil..leave Bambi alone! btw. in terms of costs, the germanium optics as well as the method of manufacturing the focal plane array is what makes these units so expensive, Raytheon (who has a longstanding lab in this area) just got a DARPA contract to try and make the entire thing cheaper: http://www.vision-systems.com/articles/2011/12/da…
Don't forget golf carts.
Id say this is rad not really for combat but base and area security which helps Guards and Solders have fast access and have electronics to control and monitor cameras and UAVs. Not a bad little buggy.
You forget the most important role these high tech golf carts provide. SECURITY or golf courses. Look at all the driving range golf balls get stolen each year, the trists happening on the back nine, Jackass episodes being taped … need I say more? Every major base that has a golf course (every one?) requires this.
There's golf courses over seas too, even Pakistan and India have golf courses which we must protect from the Taliban and insurgents from taking over golf courses holding them ransom for prisoner exchanges and the government is giving in each and every time to get back their golf courses. These golf carts are a god send!
security of*
can't go back and edit the typo
Ia this a real car or a remote controlled toy car for kids?
It seems to be a real car that'd be pretty easy to paradrop.