Defence and security technology company Hensoldt South Africa has launched its new Bushbaby 200 long-range surveillance solution for ground-based applications, which features a day camera, range finder, thermal camera for night surveillance, and an internal global navigation satellite system (GNSS).

The system is a relatively quick upgrade over the Bushbaby 100, which was launched in February.

“We're moving out of a pure military market with some of these products into a bit more parastatal security. We're not going to focus with these products solely on military end-users but rather critical infrastructure protection, airfield and sea port protection, military and force protection, national key point monitoring, coastal and martime surveillance, and border patrol,” Hensoldt South Africa’s Leon Potgieter explained at the launch on September 19 at the African Aerospace and Defence trade show and exhibition at Air Force Base Waterkloof, in Centurion.

The mid-wave infrared (MWIR) thermal imager operates between 3 and 5 µm and is particularly effective for detecting heat signatures in challenging environments, such as low-light or obscured conditions. This allows the thermal imager to detect thermal radiation emitted by objects, making it useful for surveillance, military targeting and industrial inspection applications.

The MWIR can deliver images at a resolution of 1280 x 720 px with a 36º to 1.2º field of view (FOV), capable of detecting objects up to 34 746 m away, recognising objects up to 15 320 m away, and identifying targets up to 8 322 m away – more than double what can be achieved by on-foot personnel using wearable gear.

The extreme narrow-field day camera has a spectral response of 430 to 680 nm, covering the visible light spectrum, as well as the near-infrared spectrum, covering 680 to 920 nm, delivering a full high definition 1 920 x 1 080 px image with a 21º to 0.27º FOV featuring a stabilised optical zoom.

The day camera also features a visibility enhancer, defogging capability, noise reduction, image stabilisation, auto ICR and white balance modes for extra control over the imagery recorded.

Using the day camera, detection can be achieved at 36 700 m, recognition at 29 009 m, and identification at 24 074 m.

The geolocation function on the Bushbaby 200 enables precise target location and altitude, with an AI-enabled auto tracker facilitating quick target identification and classification.

The Bushbaby 200 laser rangefinder operates using the 1 535 nm wavelength up to a range of 30 000 m with an accuracy of about 3 m.

The Bushbaby 200 is a South Africa-made product, designed with local environments, challenges, and price sensitivity in mind.