The Avenger Drone
The American company GA-ASI reported that the US Army drone "Avenger" is now able to track targets offline. It uses the Lockheed Martin Legion sensor system to detect military and civilian objects. Drones of previous generations detected targets using radar. This search method has a number of serious drawbacks. The radar signal can be blocked by natural or artificial interference. In addition, the enemy can calculate the location of the radar station itself.
The Avenger drone has a specialized Legion Pod reconnaissance unit, which is used on F-16 and F-15C fighters. The system is equipped with an IRST21 infrared sensor that processes data about external objects. The Legion Pod unit is equipped with standard interfaces that do not imply a serious change in the design of the aircraft. The integration of the new drone with the software took only 3 months. The aircraft interacts with the platform using the OMS data exchange system. During the tests, the combat drone successfully detected targets that were moving at high speed, and independently performed simulation maneuvers aimed at destroying these objects.
Lockheed Martin Legion System