Aerostat system offers cost-effective ISR.

• Author: Machi, Vivienne
• Position: Global Defense

A new integrated portable surveillance and communications system could offer enhanced situational awareness for border security and disaster relief missions around the world.

SES, a global commercial satellite operator based in Luxembourg, recently unveiled its modular tactical persistent surveillance (TPS) platform. The TPS system consists of an inflatable aerostat that flies at 1,000 feet, with a payload of advanced sensors and communications options that can identify targets more than 5 kilometers away and offer broadband connectivity up to 20 miles away.

Company executives are pitching the TPS as a cost-effective intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance solution for governments and militaries worldwide, especially in areas of Africa and the Middle East.

"We saw that there was a gap in the suite of [ISR] capabilities available today, predominantly from a cost perspective," Nicole Robinson, head of SES government marketing solutions said at a demonstration in Reston, Virginia.

Unmanned aerial systems, which are often used for intelligence collection, can run between $2,000 and $10,000 per hour of operation. The TPS is in the price range of $50 to $75 per hour of operation, she said.

The system incorporates multiple input/multiple output radio technology. Up to 380 radios can transmit to the aerostat within a designated area, said David Codacovi, general manager for...