improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page . learn how and when to remove these template messages this article needs additional citations for verification . please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . unsourced material may be challenged and removed . august 2011 learn how and when to remove this template message this article contains content that is written like an advertisement . please help improve it by removing promotional content and inappropriate external links and by adding encyclopedic content written from a neutral point of view . august 2011 learn how and when to remove this template message learn how and when to remove this template message l 3 wescam type public nyse lll industry defense technology security law enforcement founded 1959 originally westinghouse canada became l 3 wescam in 2002 1 headquarters burlington ontario canada products eo ir imaging systems website www.wescam.com l 3 wescam is a canadian company specializing in the production of gyro stabilized eo ir imaging systems . wescam inc. is a subsidiary of l 3 communications holdings inc. the name has become synonymous with cameras of the type although several organizations around the world manufacture similar systems . l 3 wescam is based in burlington ontario canada contents 1 history 2 products 2.1 mx 10 2.2 mx 15 2.3 mx 20 2.4 mx series key attributes 3 customers 4 references 5 external links history edit a bell longranger fitted with a wescam gyro stabilised camera in 1959 the military division of westinghouse canada developed a stabilized camera mount for the canadian defense research establishment . the product was named wesscam westinghouse steered stabilized camera mount . in 1974 wescam inventor nox leavitt purchased the lab equipment and patents from westinghouse and founded istec limited isolation stabilization technologies . 2 the company had 17 employees and generated approximately 1 million in revenue . it experienced substantial expansion through internal growth and strategic acquisitions . this brought complementary technologies into the company and broadened its intellectual capability and market share . in 1994 istec changed its name to wescam and in 1995 wescam went public on the toronto stock exchange . in 2002 l 3 communications acquired wescam . l 3 wescam has built a worldwide reputation for its technology and service among the multi markets it serves . the company has won many prestigious awards including an academy award and close to 20 emmys for technical excellence and personal achievement . as part of l 3 communications wescam has expanded its presence in the u.s. and increased its base of products and service offerings to customers . 2 products edit wescam s primary product line is the mx series which consists of three separate turret families the mx 10 mx 15 and mx 20 . they are currently used by defence homeland security and law enforcement agencies as well as in televised sporting events such as nascar . these products are typically mounted on fixed wing rotor wing uav and aerostat airborne platforms and also on numerous armoured vehicles and marine based platforms . mx 10 edit introduced in 2009 the mx 10 is wescam s newest imaging system . its fully integrated weight is 37 pounds 16.8 kg has a 10 inch 26 cm diameter and stands 14 inches 36 cm tall . this small size and low weight reduce the weight and clearance requirements for installation on manned and unmanned airborne platforms . the mx 10 can incorporate several different types of sensors up to six including high definition daylight and infrared sensors . 3 wescam has been in the process of creating variations of the mx 10 for use in a wider range of applications . the mx 10gs gs ground system has been adapted for mounting on a ground vehicle where it can sit atop a mast or tower for a higher point of view whether the vehicle is moving or stationary . the mx 10ms ms marinized system has also been created and zyvex technologies has operated it on the piranha unmanned surface vessel usv . wescam s mx 10 is a compact a multi sensor multi spectral imaging system that s ideal for surveillance missions from light aircraft . the mx 10 is flight proven from tactical mission levels on fixed wing rotary wing and uav platforms . the wescam mx 10 thermal imaging system houses two cameras . a color camera used primarily during the day can read an object the size of a license plate from more than 750 feet away . the second camera an infrared thermal imager can be used during the day and at night . infrared technology permits the flight crew to see objects that may otherwise go undetected at night . mx 15 edit the mx 15 is wescam s most popular family of imaging systems . this turret can weigh up to 100 pounds 45 kg with a diameter of 15.5 inches 40 cm and a height of 19 inches 48 cm . the mx 15 family includes the mx 15 the mx 15hdi high definition variant the mx 15d designator variant and the mx 15gs ground system variant . these imaging systems are usually installed on manned fixed and rotary wing aircraft . mx 20 edit of the mx series the mx 20 is the largest imaging system weighing in at up to 198 pounds 90 kg . it has a diameter of 21 inches 54 cm and a height of 26 inches 67 cm . this larger system is typically installed on large fixed wing aircraft such as the p 3 orion and aerostats . this turret is used for long range surveillance as it can identify and engage subjects from over 20 km away . mx series key attributes edit simplified installation integration these products do not require external or support electronics thus simplifying installation and reducing weight and space requirements . wescam has also implemented common operator interfaces and line replaceable units lrus to maintain interchangeability between turret models and platforms within a fleet . long range optimization mx series imaging systems use custom designed large aperture lenses to for high magnification state of the art sensors for high resolution and a missile grade solid state inertial measurement unit for rock solid stabilization . 4 on board inertial measurement unit imu while similar products often require a mounting intercase for the imu to stabilize the camera the mx series has an integrated imu which in turn reduces payload requirements . the imu allows the system to have a precise jitter free lock on any geographic position and a very high target location accuracy despite aircraft manoeuvres and noise in the aircraft s gps ins system . when connected to a gps antenna the onboard imu enables the turret to point to any geographic location supplied by a third party moving map system . compatibility with third party systems the mx series turrets are able to downlink to third party communications systems in order to provide a clear visual of the situation in real time . this compatibility allows a wide range of installations spanning even complex multi operational systems . continuous improvement wescam invests heavily in research and development in order to incorporate ultramodern technology into the mx series . some contracts also involve a spiral growth path allowing wescam to modify the turret over time in order to fit to customers evolving requirements . 5 customers edit wescam serves militaries and agencies around the world . below is a short list of some of its customers . air attack france australian national police canadian department of national defence cambridgeshire police catalunya police chilean navy french gendarmerie icelandic coast guard lithuanian air force luxembourg police ohb system germany portuguese air force royal netherlands air force royal norwegian air force spanish fisheries spanish ume swedish coast guard trafico spain uk maritime & coast guard uk ministry of defence us air force us army us customs & border patrol us federal bureau of investigation fbi us navy references edit wescam announces mailing of its directors circular and l 3 communications take over bid circular l 3 wescam . l 3 wescam . a b mcclain stan 12 august 2015 originally published spring summer 1996 in the operating cameraman . a history of aerial cinematography . the legend of pancho barnes movie . l 3 wescam launches mx 10 eo ir imaging turret . rotorhub shephard . products . helimedia ltd. l 3 wescam mx 15 selected to provide an aaq 17 replacement for afsoc s c 130 fleet . military suppliers & news . external links edit l 3 communications wescam website v t e l 3 communications subsidiaries eotech l 3 communication combat propulsion systems paramax systems corporation titan corp. wescam products avcatt l 3 smartdeck retrieved from https en.wikipedia.org w index.php title wescam & oldid 708074192 categories defence companies of canadacompanies based in burlington ontarioinfrared imaginghidden categories articles needing additional references from august 2011all articles needing additional referencesarticles with a promotional tone from august 2011all articles with a promotional tone navigation menu personal tools not logged intalkcontributionscreate accountlog in namespaces article talk variants views read edit view history more search navigation main pagecontentsfeatured contentcurrent eventsrandom articledonate to wikipediawikipedia store interaction helpabout wikipediacommunity portalrecent changescontact page tools what links hererelated changesupload filespecial pagespermanent linkpage informationwikidata itemcite this page print export create a bookdownload as pdfprintable version languages fran ais edit links this page was last modified on 3 march 2016 at 13 30 . text is available under the creative commons attribution sharealike license ; additional terms may apply . by using this site you agree to the terms of use and privacy policy . wikipedia is a registered trademark of the wikimedia foundation inc. a non profit organization . privacy policy about wikipedia disclaimers contact wikipedia developers cookie 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