Integrating the Second Sight MS into CBRN reconnaissance vehicles

Bertin’s chemical gas cloud detector Second Sight MS is mounted on iXblue’s Pan & Tilt system CEOS to equip Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) reconnaissance vehicles in order to reinforce the Armed Forces’ in-field threat detection capabilities.

As true concentrates of advanced technologies, these CBRN reconnaissance vehicles provide a holistic vision of the on-going situation: parked near the contaminated area, they can detect and identify past or present threats. Having a well-equipped laboratory on board, the vehicle allows to make a great number of preliminary on-site analyses, while protecting the crew or the troops on the field. Therefore, by alerting the chain of command in real time, these vehicles facilitate and speed up decision-making.

Under this contract, iXblue and Bertin Instruments associated to provide a qualified, high-resistance solution (IP65) to be perfectly adapted to the operational constraints of the crew, in rough environment. Indeed, both the Second Sight MS camera and CEOS Pan & Tilt system are compliant with the strictest military standards in terms of robustness and resilience to shocks, vibrations and electromagnetic interferences.

Rugged and lightweight, the CEOS two-axis platform helps to extend the equipment operating life in harsh driving conditions, whereas the Second Sight MS detector remotely allows to visualize and track gas clouds in real-time. Thanks to a unique “gas X » function, along with a substantial data base (≈50 gas), the camera identifies both Chemical Warfare Agents (CWA) and Toxic Industrial Components (TIC), and detects impure, unknown or mixed gas. With a night and day infrared imaging capability and a large Field of View (up to 60°), the Second Sight MS is able localize and track gas clouds’ movements up to 5 km with a 12° lens, even with reduced visibility.

Following this first successful partnership between iXblue and Bertin Instruments, new opportunities arose for the Second Sight MS camera / CEOS Pan & Tilt system configuration, especially to Middle-Eastern Armed Forces.