A high étendue static Fourier transform spectral imager has been developed for airborne use. This imaging spectrometer, based on a Michelson interferometer with rooftop mirrors, is compact and robust and benefits from a high collection efficiency. Experimental airborne images were acquired in the visible domain. The processing chain to convert raw images to hyperspectral data is described, and airborne spectral images are presented. These experimental results show that the spectral resolution is close to the one expected, but also that the signal to noise ratio is limited by various phenomena (jitter, elevation fluctuations, and one parasitic image). We discuss the origin of those limitations and suggest solutions to circumvent them.

More and more, hyperspectral images are envisaged to improve the aerial reconnaissance capability of airborne systems, both for civilian and military applications. To confirm the hopes put in this new way of imaging a scene, it is necessary to develop airborne systems allowing the measurement of the spectral signatures of objects of interest in real conditions, with high spectral and spatial resolutions. The purpose of this paper is to present the design and the first in-flight results of the dual-band infrared spectro-imaging system called Sieleters. This system has demonstrated simultaneously a ground sampling distance of 0.5m, associated with a spectral resolution of 11 cm(-1) for the Mid-Wave InfraRed (MWIR) and 5 cm(-1) for the Long-Wave InfraRed (LWIR).

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