Hood Technology’s UAV Imaging Systems Help Canadians Catch Gulf of Aden Drug Dealers

May 17, 2012 - PRLog -- Press Release
From:  Hood Tech Corp Vision, Inc., Hood River, Oregon
Date:  May 17, 2012
Subject:  Hood Technology’s UAV Imaging Systems Help Canadians Catch Gulf of Aden Drug Dealers
Contact:  Dr. Lars Bergstrom, Hood Tech Corp Vision, Inc., 541-490-9099, lars@hoodtech.com
According to the Ottawa Citizen (http://blogs.ottawacitizen.com/2012/05/07/hmcs-charlottetown-disrupts-drug-deal-in-gulf-of-aden/), Canada’s HMCS Charlottetown used a Hood Technology imaging system, on board a small UAV, to detect a skiff involved in drug transport in the Gulf of Aden.  Although the crew of the skiff tried to dump all the 600-pound cargo of hashish overboard, a helicopter and a rigid-hulled-inflatable boat from the ship ran the skiff down and recovered 10 packages of drugs from the water.  Just this year, using similar technology, the Canadians and other crews from a 26-nation naval partnership have recovered more than 1500 pounds of drugs with a street value of nearly $50 million, including the hashish, amphetamines, and pure heroin.
With over 600,000 hours of use in the field, Hood Tech’s imaging systems are frequently used in similar ISR (intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance)  situations, and are well-designed to track activities over extended time periods (limited only by flight duration).
Hood Technology Corp. Vision, Inc. (Hood Tech) designs and manufactures imaging and video processing systems for manned and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), boats, land vehicles, and stationary mounts.  The reliability and utility of Hood Tech’s daylight and thermal imaging products has been demonstrated over more than 600,000 hours of use in a variety of temperatures, humidity, dust, smoke, haze, and other environmental factors (http://www.alticamvision.com).
Hood Technology was founded by Dr. Andy von Flotow in Hood River, Oregon in 1993.  In addition to stabilized imaging systems, Hood Technology:
•   Develops, tests, and manufactures launch and retrieval systems for a variety of UAVs and
•   Monitors blade vibrations in industrial turbines and jet engines, a diagnostic method for predicting possible future failures.
•   Web site:  www.hoodtech.com