U.S. Army Awards Contract to Flight Landata for Aerial Imaging in Afghanistan

Flight Landata Inc., a provider of digital remote sensing technology, has received a contract from the U.S. Army Topographic Engineering Center (Army TEC) for work in Afghanistan. The $6.6 million contract engages the company to do intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and mapping via aerial remote sensing. The information generated from these flights will assist the U.S. military and political efforts in Afghanistan. The duration of the contract is for one year, with the possibility of an extension.

To accomplish the mission, Flight Landata will be sending an airplane, crew and support personnel into Afghanistan. The actual data collection is expected to begin before the end of the calendar year. The data will be collected using the latest generation of Flight Landata’s BuckEye system. An earlier version of the BuckEye has been flying similar missions in Iraq for three years. In June, 2007 the BuckEye was officially recognized as one of the Army’s Top Ten Inventions of 2006.

Don Florence, Flight Landata chairman and CEO, said, “We’re looking forward to undertaking this important initiative in Afghanistan. Flight Landata technology is especially well suited to achieve the goals of the project, and we’re pleased to continue our beneficial association with Army TEC.”

Joe Pimenta, BuckEye Deputy Program Manager with Army TEC, said, “We need ISR [intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance] in Afghanistan. So, because of its strong track record in Iraq, we have turned once again to Flight Landata and its BuckEye system.”

Aerial remote sensing is a technique whereby a detailed assessment of the ground and objects on it are made from airborne vehicles flying over the terrain. Flight Landata is able to achieve very high resolution in real time with its state-of-the-art camera and software equipment. The BuckEye system acquires ultra-sharp, geo-referenced images of ground features using a digital airborne imaging device. Flown aboard conventional aircraft, the system analyzes rapidly-delivered imagery and automatically compares it with prior imagery on a pixel-by-pixel basis.