Air Target Services P/L, based at H.M.A.S. Albatross in Nowra, NSW, primarily provides operation and support services in Airborne Target Towing for the Australian Department of Defence. Complimentary to this specialised field of airborne operations, Air Target Services also provide a commercially available Airborne Remote Sensing service. At the heart of this Remote Sensing service is a Daedalus 1268 Airborne Thematic Mapper (A.T.M.), installed in a Gates Learjet Model 35A aircraft.
The Daedalus 1268 Airborne Thematic Mapper (ATM):
The Daedalus 1268 system, in it's multispectral configuration, provides valuable image data similar to that of the land resource satellite imaging systems. With the flexibility of the airborne platform, the image data aquired far exceeds the spectral and spatial resolution of the satellite based systems. A unique aspect of the Daedalus 1268 system is the ability to acquire high resolution thermal Infrared image data. Due to this ability of the Daedalus system to capture real-time thermal Infrared image data, the system is available during the Australian summer months for bushfire mapping & detection activities. This unique service is known as the "AIRFIRE" - Airborne Infrared Fire Scanning Service.
The AIRFIRE Service utilises a Gates Learjet 35A aircraft
The AIRFIRE Learjet for Bushfire Reconnaisance & Logistical Support:
The thermal Infrared capabilities of the Daedalus 1268 allow the system to be utilised for bushfire mapping and detection under adverse conditions. In a reversal from the operation of conventional visible light sensors, the infra red sensors are able to function during the day or night, and through dense smoke usually associated with forest and grassland fires.
Flight Operations:
Fire Mapping missions are flown at stages of a prevailing fire situation. They enable mapping of an uncontrolled fire front, location
of hot spots ahead of the front and hot spots remaining within the normally unknown fire boundaries. Manpower and other resources can then be directed to key areas, which may be townships, crops, or valuable timber resources. During daytime fire mapping, a total of 11 visible and Infra red channels are gathered, these responses being useful for post fire analysis, fire research and behaviour studies. The altitudes from which fire mapping or detection missions are conducted will vary depending on the amount of fine detail required. Flying heights for mapping missions can be as high as 40,000 ft., where large areas are required to be imaged in a short space of time. During fire detection missions, the flying height will be determined by a compromise between high definition to detect small fires and an adequate flying height to still achieve good area coverage in any given flight hour. The fire detection flights rarely exceed 15,000 ft. AGL.