OVERVIEW: Wide Area Aerial Surveillance (WAAS) systems using infrared (IR) sensors provide persistent, large-area coverage for detecting, tracking, and recording movement across broad terrains. These systems are primarily used for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) from aerial platforms.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION: WAAS (IR) employs high-resolution infrared sensors mounted on aircraft, drones, or aerostats to monitor wide swaths of land or urban environments. These systems can track hundreds of moving targets in real time, day or night, and are often integrated with electro-optical (EO) sensors and onboard processing units for object recognition, behavior analysis, and geo-location tagging.

ROLE SUMMARY:
Category: Infrared Surveillance System
Primary Use: Wide-area persistent surveillance
Function: Passive thermal imaging over large terrain
Platform: Manned/unmanned aircraft, aerostats
Integration: EO sensors, onboard processing, data links

See Specific information under [Sensors/EW] and [Properties] sections.

SOURCE:
U.S. Army Project Perseus
Gorgon Stare Program Documents