London, 11 September 2023 15:12
Using high-definition camera systems instead of windows means vehicle crews can operate day and night while completely enclosed in armour, maximising protection while maintaining situational awareness.
Leonardo’s vehicle camera system is already in service on-board Danish Army vehicles, including the JCB High Mobility Engineer Excavator (HMEE) and WiSENT.
Today at DSEI 2023, Leonardo has announced a contract worth over £10M with the Danish Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organisation (DALO) to equip more than 300 Royal Danish Army vehicles, including Piranha V 8x8 Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) and Caesar 8x8 ART (Artillery) platforms, with integrated vehicle camera systems. The technology will provide crews with enhanced drivers vision and local situational awareness, allowing them operate more effectively in hostile environments.
The order was placed in December 2022 under the framework agreement signed in 2016 between Leonardo and DALO to provide modular vehicle mission systems across the Royal Danish Army’s fleet of land vehicles, with each system tailored to the individual vehicle type and role. The new contract covers 309 Piranha V vehicles comprising infantry, engineer, repair, mortar, command post and ambulance variants as well as the Caesar 8x8 ART (Artillery) platform and wider fleet spares. Deliveries have already commenced.
The Leonardo vehicle camera system utilises a cross-platform modular design that comprises high-resolution infrared (IR) driver’s night vision (thermal/low light) cameras, daylight cameras, user displays, IR illuminators and other platform video sources. The system is compliant with the UK-led Generic Vehicle Architecture (GVA) standard, which employs common infrastructure and system control interfaces allowing the utilisation of external inputs, such as video sources, from other sensors around the vehicle(s).
Since 2016, Leonardo has provided over 700 integrated camera systems for Royal Danish Army vehicles. These include the JCB High Mobility Engineer Excavator (HMEE), which the Army first deployed in January 2022, and the WiSENT armoured recovery vehicle (ARV) and armoured engineer vehicle (AEV). The technology has also been used to support NATO allies in operations around the world.
The integrated vehicle camera systems on the Piranha and HMEE both include the latest version of Leonardo’s DNVS (Driver’s Night Vision System). This means that as well as conducting operations while fully protected against external threats, vehicle crews will be able to operate at night and in low-visibility weather conditions.
Leonardo’s latest-generation camera systems build upon the company’s decades of experience in providing situational awareness systems for the UK Armed Forces, equipping vehicles such as Mastiff, Warrior, Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS), Warthog, Viking, Ridgback, Wolfhound and Challenger.