A new version of the Diamond Aircraft DA62 Multi-Purpose Platform (MPP) is on display at Diamond's Paris Airshow static park. Named the Vanguard, the aircraft serves environmental surveillance missions and is the first multi-mission sensor version of the popular twin-diesel-engine four- to seven-seater. Applications include automated fire mapping, vegetation analyses, flood and oil spill mapping, and wildlife monitoring.
The Vanguard carries a new five-band wide-area sensor from Overwatch Imaging designated TK-8 in a small pod under the fuselage. It employs artificial intelligence (AI) including change-detection algorithms to help the sensor operator locate small objects of interest within large search areas. A more conventional EO/IR sensor, the Trakka Systems TC-300, sits under the nose. The airplane also carries the Artemis cellular phone detection, location, and communication sensor produced by British company Smith Myers. As with previous DA62MPP versions, the sensor data can transmit to the ground by the satcom pod, which offers Ka-, Ku-, L- and X-band frequencies.
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