Astronautics Corporation of America is teaming with JAGID Management to deliver a new portable intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance cockpit situational awareness and communications system that will expand ground-based operations for law enforcement and military operators domestically and internationally.

Called SmartCopter, the new roll-on/roll-off communication suite will include the Astronautics NEXIS™ server and (optionally) a NEXIS display unit in the cockpit. SmartCopter will also feature an Astronautics wireless electronic flight bag (EFB) interface to facilitate tablet EFB access to streaming video and data, including text messaging, between air and ground systems.

“JAGID believes Astronautics’ proven NEXIS data management products and their aircraft communication and security expertise will deliver law enforcement and military operators unparalleled tactical and strategic connectivity for use in combined air-ground operations,” said JAGID Management Chief Executive Officer Jake Williams.

“This fully portable solution, potentially costing less than 20 percent of a fully integrated mission system, gives pilots and aircrew improved air-ground situational awareness via uplinked ground video, as well as access to detailed moving maps and charts along with text-based information from the ground during flight,” said Astronautics Vice President of Business Development and Product Strategy Dan Ryan. “Improving airborne connectivity and increasing pilot access to real-time data will expand mission capability while limiting aircraft downtime for removal or replacement by using a portable solution.”

“Our customers asked us to design and develop an efficient system for integrated operations,” Williams said. “And since Astronautics has the unique capability to design and develop affordable avionics systems in today’s special needs environment, the NEXIS server, coupled with their airborne data security approach, was the fit we needed to make this system work.”

As an option, NEXIS will also give helicopter operators maintenance tech log capabilities, video recording, and the ability to send aircraft location data to the ground. SmartCopter will also have the ability to host third-party applications that can display on EFB tablets to provide additional tactical and mission information in the cockpit.