Rugged display technology for Predator UAV ground control stations to come from Barco

DULUTH, Ga., 19 Aug. 2010. Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) designers at General Atomics Aeronautical Systems in San Diego needed rugged display technology for their legacy Predator UAV ground control station. They found their solution from Barco Federal Systems LLC in Duluth, Ga.

General Atomics awarded a follow-on order to Barco Thursday for the Barco TL-248 19-inch rugged LCD for Predator control stations. Barco has provided rugged displays to General Atomics for this program since 1989.

The TL-248 rugged flat panel features a 19-inch active matrix liquid crystal display (AMLCD) in a rugged, yet thin, lightweight package. Barco's most rugged version is designed as a fully enclosed, drip-proof unit and includes a front-bonded optical stack and integrated heater to withstand sub-zero temperatures. Each predator ground control station employs four TL-248 displays in two top-down configurations, one each for the pilot and co-pilot. The pilot controls and monitors the UAV while the co-pilot views reconnaissance data gathered from the live video feeds captured by aircraft's nose-mounted camera.

For more information contact General Atomics Aeronautical Systems online at www.ga-asi.com, or Barco Federal Systems at www.barco.com/federal