SkyEye surveillance platform completes first test flight

Aerial Surveillance Systems Inc (ASSI) has successfully carried out the first flight of its SkyEye 350 aerial surveillance and special mission aircraft, the company announced on 19 October.

The SkyEye 350, which is based on the Hawker Beechcraft King Air 350 twin-engined turboprop aircraft, is being developed as an advanced aerial surveillance platform for the US Department of Defense (DoD) and unspecified international customers.

ASSI announced in July that it had selected FLIR Systems to provide the aircraft's electro-optical (EO) sensors and Stevens Aviation to provide maintenance, repair and support.

Stevens Aviation will also be responsible for the certification and integration of the platform, including the Special Mission Cargo Pod (SMCP), avionics upgrade, EO sensor installation and mission control hardware.

For this first flight a modified version of the FLIR Systems BRITE Star II EO/infrared (IR) targeting sensor was fitted to the aircraft.

The modified EO/IR sensor package will capture stabilised high-magnification images that allow the SkyEye 350 to provide a wide range of low-, medium-, and high-altitude tactical missions and long-range covert surveillance operations.

The FLIR Systems Star SAFIRE day/night Multi-Mission Optical Stabilized Payload (MMOSP) can also be integrated depending on the customer's needs.