Raytheon received a contract from the U.S. Air Force to produce the first airborne tactical hyperspectral sensor system. The company made the announcement Sunday at the Paris Air Show at Le Bourget.
The Airborne Cueing and Exploitation System Hyperspectral, also known as ACES HY, is an infrared sensor system developed to identify targets based on their spectral characteristics, according to Raytheon.
In September 2010, Raytheon worked with the Air Force to successfully complete flight testing of ACES HY on a manned Twin Otter aircraft used as a surrogate for the MQ-1 Predator unmanned system.
As the prime systems integrator for ACES HY, Raytheon leads team members L3 Integrated Optical Systems and Space Computer Corporation in the effort. The ACES HY Program is managed by the U.S. Air Force Aeronautical Systems Center at Wright Patterson Air Force Base.