ROVER

Remotely Operated Video Enhanced Receiver (ROVER) is a system which allows ground forces, such as Forward air controllers (FAC), to see what an aircraft or unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is seeing in real time by receiving images acquired by the aircraft's sensors on a laptop on the ground.

There's little time delay and usage of ROVER greatly improves the FAC on the ground reconnaissance and target identification which are essential to close air support.

The interface was so large it was carried in a Humvee, but it avoided the long delay of having to call a distant UAV controller and ask what the aircraft was seeing.

ROVER IV plans to include the capability to interface with a wide variety of aircraft and also allow interaction between ground controllers and close air support pilots.

ROVER IV seeks to use GPS and other systems to allow the controller to click a target they would like the aircraft to engage or the UAV operator to focus on.