High-accuracy gyrostabilization for performant long-range and on the move observation & targeting

Recent years have seen the increasing rise of the use of optronics on land platforms operating on the battlefield. Once limited by the motion of the platforms on which they were mounted, high resolution sensors can now provide better observation and targeting performance while the vehicle is moving thanks to the integration of high-performance gyrostabilized platforms.

Armed forces are now conducting military operations in vast countries where mobility is a key factor to cover all ground territories. It is thus of crucial importance for the success of their operations to be able to maintain quality observation and targeting capabilities while on the move. Furthermore, in order to ensure safe operations and to keep farther away from the enemy whenever possible, forces on the field now make use of optronic sensors with longer Detection, Reconnaissance and Identification (DRI) ranges and need increased high-precision stabilization of their Line of Sight to maintain efficient and performant operations, as well as to improve their survivability and fighting capabilities.

It is to meet the operational efficiency requirements of the land defense optronic market in terms of observation range, mobility and intense use constraints, that iXblue, a global leader in the design and manufacturing of innovative navigation and positioning solutions, has developed Leos, a highly reliable and accurate gyrostabilized pan & tilt platform dedicated to armored vehicle panoramic sights and on-the-move observation systems.

Leveraging over 30 years of mechatronics expertise in motion simulation technology used on numerous domestic and export defense programs, iXblue stands out as an independent leader for the design and manufacturing of innovative platform stabilization solutions which benefit from the latest control technologies, as well as automatic tracking and pointing features.

Combat-proven, Leos is used for surveillance, observation, detection or communication operations and has been designed to meet the military requirements of armored vehicles such as battle tanks, infantry fighting vehicles or reconnaissance and artillery observation vehicles. The Leos pan & tilt platform provides unrivaled and highly-accurate two-axis gyrostabilization and pointing performance for long-range and on-the-move applications in the harshest land defense environments. It thus offers armed forces a robust solution suited to withstand severe environments such as extreme shocks, vibrations, icing, freezing rain, salt, fog, sand or dust.

iXblue’s high-performance pan and tilt system can suit all communication protocols and is easy to integrate and adapt to new payloads thanks to its U-shaped portion that may be enlarged to accommodate payloads of different sizes and weights. Compact, Leos can be mounted directly onto the vehicle roof and does not require to be fixed within the vehicle, providing valuable space gain. Unlike usual costly integrated electro-optical systems (EOS) available on the market, Leos offers a cost-efficient, modular and ITAR-free solution to optronicians who need high-stabilization platforms to accommodate their existing payloads in order to offer a complete high-performance turret to the defense market.

Leos is a perfect versatile solution for both new and retrofit defense programs requiring performant and reliable observation and targeting turrets. Its high level of reliability indeed offers low cost of ownership thanks to the low maintenance required over time. Leos thus meets the standardization requirements of armed forces and enables significant cost-savings at fleet level in terms of integration, installation, configuration and training.

With Leos, iXblue is offering the defense market a performant gyro-stabilized solution that improves the mobility and accuracy of armed forces tactical systems, boosts their observation and targeting capabilities, and enhances their situational awareness while offering the best trade-off between cost and performance.