Denmark’s Phase One debuts iXM-FS130 to enable sub-centimeter aerial mapping at high speed

Phase One has introduced the iXM-FS130, a mapping camera aimed at delivering sub-centimeter ground detail while aircraft operate at significantly higher cruise speeds. At the heart of the design is a hybrid shutter arrangement that pairs an electronic global shutter with a mechanical leaf shutter—an approach intended to suppress exposure-related artifacts that commonly appear when exposures shrink at high velocity. The manufacturer positions the unit to reliably achieve about 1 cm ground sample distance when flown from fixed-wing platforms exceeding 120 knots, which directly raises area throughput per flight and reduces the need for repeat sorties. To address the heavy data volumes that come with such resolution, Phase One bundles support for its IIQ-X compressed image format, which is tuned to preserve radiometric and geometric integrity while shrinking file footprints for faster transfer and processing. The iXM-FS130 rides on the established iXM hardware family and remains compatible with Phase One’s RS and RSM lens mount ecosystem, spanning focal lengths from roughly 35 to 300 millimeters to accommodate varied mission geometries. Early operational validation is shown by its deployment inside the IGI CM-1 mapping system, complete with flight management, GNSS/IMU and stabilized mounting, signaling that this is a production-capable solution rather than a laboratory prototype. Practical applications span large-area orthophoto campaigns, dense urban 3D modelling, corridor inspections and mission sets with higher security or defense requirements where image fidelity under motion matters. For service providers and asset owners the headline benefit is throughput: faster flight profiles translate into lower cost-per-square-kilometer and quicker time-to-deliverables. On the technical side, the hybrid shutter reduces a long-standing class of motion- and exposure-related image errors, but it also introduces another layer of system complexity that will demand rigorous calibration and operational validation across platforms and lighting conditions. Although IIQ-X eases bandwidth and storage pressure, sub-centimeter datasets remain large and will continue to stress ground processing, archiving and distribution pipelines—so adjacent investments in compute and network capacity will likely follow. Strategically, the product strengthens Phase One’s position in high-end airborne photogrammetry and could force rivals to accelerate development of similarly specialized shutters or compression schemes. The company plans demonstrations at GeoWeek 2026 and indicates global availability will follow shortly, setting the stage for early adopters to exploit higher-speed mapping workflows.