Surveillance blimp to be shipped to Iraq.

• Position: Tech talk - Brief Article

The first of two 56,000-cubic-foot tethered aerostats will be sent to Iraq for surveillance missions, the U.S. Army said.

Under a $1.6 million contact, Lockheed Martin will integrate existing aerostats with sensors, ground stations and mooring systems. The Army will receive the first system in June 2004 and the second system within two months, the company said.

"Aerostat Surveillance systems give the Army the additional intelligence collection capability," said Ron Browning, business development director at Lockheed Martin.

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