Gidel at the Military & Aviation Exhibition 2025

FPGA Airborne Imaging Systems for Military & Aviation Applications

At the Military & Aviation Exhibition 2025, Gidel demonstrated FPGA-based airborne imaging systems for UAV, ISR, EO/IR, and tactical applications. The exhibition featured FantoVision20-CL and FantoVision40-CXP12, combining deterministic camera acquisition, real-time FPGA processing, compression, and NVIDIA Jetson computing in compact low-SWaP platforms.

FantoVision20-CL: Camera Link for Airborne & Tactical Systems

FantoVision20-CL combines NVIDIA Jetson processing with FPGA-based Camera Link acquisition and real-time image processing.

The system supports Camera Link Base, Medium, Full, 80-bit Deca, and Dual Base configurations, making it suitable for airborne and tactical systems that continue to rely on deterministic Camera Link cameras while requiring modern embedded processing.

The FPGA can handle deterministic image acquisition, HDR, image enhancement, compression, and data preparation before transferring the processed image data to the Jetson for AI and application processing.

By moving these pixel-intensive operations to the FPGA, the architecture reduces acquisition and image-processing overhead on the Jetson while maintaining predictable low-latency performance.

Engineers evaluating Camera Link camera selection can also review Gidel’s guide to Camera Link cameras to compare supported configurations, cabling, synchronization, and acquisition requirements.

FantoVision40-CXP12: High-Bandwidth CoaXPress for Airborne & Tactical Systems

FantoVision40-CXP12 combines NVIDIA Jetson processing with FPGA-based CoaXPress-12 acquisition and real-time image processing.

The system supports up to four CXP-12 links with PoCXP, providing up to 50 Gb/s aggregate interface bandwidth for high-resolution and high-frame-rate imaging systems.

For airborne, UAV, and tactical applications, this architecture supports deterministic high-bandwidth acquisition while reducing the processing burden placed on the Jetson CPU/GPU.

Engineers evaluating high-bandwidth camera options can also review Gidel’s guide to CoaXPress cameras.

Why FPGA Processing Matters in Airborne Imaging Systems

Airborne imaging platforms must process large camera data streams while operating within strict size, weight, power, bandwidth, and latency constraints.

Placing FPGA processing directly in the acquisition path enables time-critical and pixel-intensive operations to be performed before image data reaches the CPU or GPU.

Gidel’s FPGA-based architecture can support:

• Deterministic camera acquisition
• Real-time HDR and image enhancement
• Image compression
• Filtering and preprocessing
• Protocol handling
• Low-latency data transfer
• Reduced CPU/GPU acquisition overhead
• More efficient use of storage and data-link bandwidth

This architecture provides a predictable processing path for mission-critical imaging while preserving Jetson resources for AI inference and application-level processing.

Camera Link and CoaXPress for Different Airborne Imaging Requirements

The two FantoVision systems demonstrated at the exhibition address different camera-interface requirements.

FantoVision20-CL supports established Camera Link cameras and is particularly relevant for systems where deterministic acquisition, compatibility with existing sensors, and retrofit capability are important.

FantoVision40-CXP12 addresses newer high-bandwidth architectures requiring CoaXPress-12 connectivity, PoCXP, higher data rates, and compact multi-camera acquisition.

Both platforms combine FPGA-based acquisition and processing with NVIDIA Jetson computing, allowing system developers to select the camera interface that best matches their sensor, bandwidth, and mission requirements.

Low-SWaP Processing for Airborne and Tactical Platforms

Size, weight, and power are critical constraints in UAV, airborne, and tactical imaging systems.

Gidel’s FantoVision architecture integrates camera acquisition, FPGA processing, NVIDIA Jetson computing, and optional recording in a compact embedded system, reducing the need for a separate frame grabber and large host computer.

This approach is particularly useful for imaging payloads deployed close to the sensor, where deterministic performance and high processing capability must be achieved within limited mechanical and power budgets.

Applications for Airborne Imaging Systems

The technologies demonstrated at the Military & Aviation Exhibition 2025 support applications including:

• ISR and EO/IR imaging
• UAV and airborne payloads
• Aerial surveillance and reconnaissance
• Tactical imaging and recording
• High-resolution airborne imaging
• Multi-camera sensor systems
• Real-time image enhancement
• Edge AI detection, tracking, and classification
• Recording under constrained data-link bandwidth
• Rugged and low-SWaP imaging platforms

Explore Gidel FPGA Imaging Solutions

• FantoVision20-CL
• FantoVision40-CXP12
• Real-Time HDR
• Quality+ Compression
• Gidel PCIe Frame Grabbers

Military & Aviation Exhibition 2025 Event Details

📆 Monday, November 10, 2025
📌 Pavilion 10, EXPO Tel Aviv