BAE Systems and Airbus Defense and Space Partner to Set New Global Geospatial Content Standard

BAE Systems and Airbus Defense and Space today announced a strategic alliance to produce, market, and sell innovative geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) products and solutions using state-of-the-art satellite data collected exclusively by Airbus Defense and Space’s TerraSAR-X^® and TanDEM-X radar satellites.

Under the terms of the partnership, BAE Systems and Airbus Defense and Space will jointly develop a new line of global synthetic aperture radar (SAR) products that are unrivalled in terms of accuracy, resolution, and quality. The two companies will exclusively market these jointly developed products to U.S. government, commercial, and select international customers.

“The Airbus Defense and Space radar satellite missions are collecting data of unprecedented quality and accuracy on a global scale,” said DeEtte Gray, president of BAE Systems’ Intelligence & Security sector. “The products we are teaming to develop represent a major leap forward in SAR-based products and services that enhance various sophisticated applications.”

The precision and richness of Airbus’s radar data products, combined with the rigor of BAE Systems’ GEOINT exploitation and analysis expertise, will drive the development of advanced geospatial products that will benefit both the public and private sectors. The resulting GEOINT products will enhance mission planning for defense customers, support flight systems, improve emergency response, and help the world’s energy sector strategically plan new power grids, plot pipelines, and manage resources.

“BAE Systems’ expertise will leverage the SAR data we’re collecting into refined sets of geospatial intelligence products, that meet stringent U.S. government standards,” said Bernhard Brenner, senior vice president for Geo-Intelligence at Airbus Defense and Space.

Airbus Defense and Space’s TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X are very high-resolution X-Band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) systems that collect data for precision change detection applications, maritime monitoring, digital elevation modeling, ground control point extractions, and topographical mapping in cloud persistent regions. The two satellites also acquired the data used to produce Airbus Defense and Space’s state-of-the art WorldDEM^™, which is a highly accurate, homogenous global digital elevation product.

BAE Systems provides intelligence and security services to manage big data, inform big decisions, and support big missions. BAE Systems delivers a broad range of solutions and services including systems development, IT, cyber operations, and intelligence analysis to enable the U.S. military and government to recognize, manage, and defeat threats. The company takes pride in supporting critical national security missions that protect the nation and those who serve.