Drone technology is about to take another huge leap.
The $18.5 million Autonomous Real-Time Ground Ubiquitous Surveillance Imaging System (ARGUS) program is set to become the most advanced surveillance system in the sky.
Once attached under an unmanned aerial vehicle, an ARGUS camera can patrol at 17,500 feet and send back high resolution images of 1.8 gigapixels.
The images are so crisp and clear that an analyst can actually see what color shirt a subject is wearing.
The following screen grabs from a PBS documentary feature lead BAE engineers saying this is the first time they've been granted permission to show ARGUS' basic features.
The BAE systems engineer says that the new system is "the next generation of surveillance."
He designed ARGUS, which boasts a camera capable of producing 1.8 billion pixels. That makes it the highest resolution camera in the world.
And instead of a camera that can only track in one direction, ARGUS attaches under a UAV to take photos of a wide area.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
Please follow Military & Defense on Twitter and Facebook.