Aerostats Help Quickly Deploy Cellular Comms for Surveillance/Reconnaissance
Aerostat technology—based on aircraft that rely on buoyancy to stay aloft (think balloons or airships)—has proven effective for surveillance and reconnaissance from great heights. And now, RT LTA Systems Ltd., a developer of tactical aerostats, has added cellular communications technology to its tactical aerostats. The firm’s latest Skystar 330 systems carry payloads to altitudes as high as 500 m (1500 ft.) above ground level (AGL).
The company, based in Yavne, Israel, with an American subsidiary (RT Aerostat Systems Inc.) in Texas, previously developed blimp-shaped Skyguard aerostats capable of reaching altitudes to 20,000 ft. (greater than 6000 m).
Such aerostat systems have provided early warning, situational awareness, and real-time intelligence to a wide range of applications, including facility security and border protection, for some time. The aerostats can be equipped with suitable payloads for an application, including ELINT systems, electro-optical and infrared cameras, and radars.
The compact and mobile Skystar 330 aerostat system (see image above) with its cellular communications capabilities allows for users to activate the system within an hour of arrival at a site, with full communications and data channels available.
The communications system has two parts, with essential equipment in the air and ground equipment connected to the aerial payload by means of optical fibers within the tethered cable, which also carries power for the in-air equipment. The system is designed for operation by a team of three users, although progress is being made on the next generation of the system for remote and autonomous use.
According to RT’s CEO Rami Shmueli, “The system is suitable for numerous scenarios, such as for the coverage of extensive areas without infrastructure, post-disaster events where infrastructure is damaged, an urgent need to open communication channels for search and rescue teams, and temporary installations for special events to augment existing communication systems.”
The Skystar 330 aerostat system provides 360-degree aerial coverage in high-risk or difficult operating environments at operating temperatures spanning –35 to +60°C. It supports payloads to 50 kg using helium-filled balloons about 7.7 m in diameter and has a wind limit of 40 knots.
