Airbus Defence and Space and BAE Systems have partnered to develop geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) products and solutions using data accumulated by TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X radar satellites.

As part of the partnership, the companies will develop new range of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) products for the US government, commercial, and select international customers.

Airbus Defence and Space Communications, Intelligence and Security head Evert Dudok said: "BAE Systems’s unique expertise will leverage the SAR data we are collecting into refined sets of geospatial intelligence products, that meet stringent US Government standards."

"The products we are teaming to develop represent a major leap forward in SAR-based products and services that enhance various sophisticated applications."

The GEOINT products are claimed to support defence customers in mission planning, support flight systems, and improve emergency response.

They will also help the global energy sector in planning new power grids, plot pipelines and managing resources.

BAE Systems’s Intelligence & Security sector president DeEtte Gray said: "The products we are teaming to develop represent a major leap forward in SAR-based products and services that enhance various sophisticated applications."

TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X are X-band SAR systems that gather data for detecting accurate change detection applications, maritime monitoring, digital elevation modelling, ground control point extractions and topographical mapping in cloud-persistent regions.

The two satellites also collected data used to develop Airbus Defence and Space’s WorldDEM, a homogenous global digital elevation product.

A division of Airbus Group, Airbus Defence and Space is formed by combining the business activities of Cassidian, Astrium and Airbus Military, and it generates approximately €14bn in annual revenues.

Defence Technology