TCOM proudly features their latest aerostat innovations, for nomination in the 2017 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards Program, focusing on MARITIME PERSISTENT SURVEILLANCE and border security.
Monitoring territorial waters on a round-the-clock basis while providing intelligence in time to take appropriate action is a major challenge to many nations.
Ground-based and shipboard systems have a limited range against surface targets, while the continuous use of aircraft is prohibitively expensive.
Nations need an effective and affordable system that offers continuous, wide-area maritime surveillance and timely provision of target information.
The versatility of a sea surveillance system makes it ideal for responding to requirements or threats that change rapidly.
- A system that is fully transportable and can be easily relocated with no site preparation
- Although fully mature, a system that can be shaped to better meet the needs of the client
- A system that can incorporate additional capabilities such as passive surveillance and remote data linking
(TCOM Operational Class Aerostat Systems ideal for maritime and border surveillance. Their complete platform solutions include numerous classes of aerostats that can each be equipped with a broad selection of proven payloads that are customizable for specific customer requirements. Courtesy of TCOM and YouTube)
Increasing geopolitical tensions in maritime zones worldwide and in the Asia-Pacific regions have created a strategic impetus to consider new surveillance platforms for identifying real and perceived threats as they become imminent.
Now, more than ever, persistent situational awareness is critical.
However, unlike traditional landlocked conflict zones, maritime surveillance presents a unique challenge as ISR must be successful in multi-modal environments including air, land, and maritime environments.
Adding to that complexity is the presence of largely populated areas in multiple countries proximate to the conflict zone, making it difficult to select one tool or method to create an effective operational ‘big picture’ for decision makers.
Recently it was widely reported that regional states such as the Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam, Taiwan, Japan, and Korea, are actively increasing their proactive vigilance.
Wisely, they are also considering an all-of-the-above approach for their defenses to ensure full situational awareness with optimized intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) for land, air, and sea domains.
TCOM delivers its practical applications for ISR with its 28M aerostat, one of its leading Operational Class aerostats, which are ideal for monitoring areas in which ground-based surveillance would be rendered ineffective by domain obstructions, or where manned aerial surveillance is deemed too costly.
Versatile Operational Class aerostat systems may carry payloads that include radar, SIGINT and COMMS Relay to altitudes as high as 5,000 ft above ground and stay 30 days on station.
This makes the systems ideal for maritime surveillance applications, protecting ports and coastal borders, as well as inland border surveillance applications.
TCOM Operational Class aerostat systems offer unrivaled versatility and performance.
TCOM 28M Maritime Persistent Surveillance Aerostat
Equipped to detect and track targets in the most challenging terrain, the TCOM 28M aerostat is a mid-sized, wide-area surveillance vehicle that can be customized for a variety of mission types.
TCOM’s 28M is one of the most widely-used aerostat systems available today.
The 28M offers battle-proven reliability and can be customized with multiple payload configurations to meet the most demanding mission requirements.
(These medium-sized systems are versatile and are capable of sustained deployments of up to two weeks. They are customizable, offering the consumer the flexibility to meet mission objectives. Courtesy of TCOM and YouTube)
Applications include:
- Illegal Immigration Monitoring
- Anti-Terrorism
- Early Intrusion Detection
- Piracy and Smuggling Deterrence
These medium-sized aerostat systems offer both the flexibility and portability for accelerated launch and retrieval, along with the capacity for sustained deployment for up to two weeks at a time.
Consider the scenario of a crowded port environment where many ships and small craft are transiting through highly congested waterways.
- A naval vessel enters a port but is limited to using surveillance equipment that looks outward from the deck level
- There may also be ground-based equipment on shore
- Together these systems are unable to see all the critical activity at the water level
- A low, fast moving boat quickly approaches a larger vessel undetected by traditional methods
This scenario occurred in 2000 with the terrorist attack on the USS Cole in Yemen.
(Store Keep Chief Petty Officer Sean Taitt relates his experience on USS Cole (DDG 67) when it was attacked in Aden, Yemen on 12 October, 2000. Courtesy of the U.S. Navy and YouTube)
Aerostat system monitoring the entire port area from hundreds or thousands of feet above would provide early warning to the larger vessel, allowing for a timely reaction.
The system could have provided actionable intelligence that allowed for a greater window of time for forces to intercept or engage.
As government decision makers consider using a multi-mode surveillance approach, TCOM’s aerostats stand out in their potential to serve as eyes in the sky in international waters and other maritime regions that have been immersed in perceived threats and real conflict.
They are easy to deploy, operate in multiple environments, are efficient and technology-agnostic.
Aerostat systems need little time to deploy and have lower maintenance requirements at a substantially lower hourly operational cost than conventional aircraft and drones.
Moreover, aerostats offer a combination of wide viewing angles and high resolution for more precise identification of small objects as well as surveillance of larger areas.
In short, aerostats enable true persistent, real-time tactical ISR at an affordable cost.
(The TCOM 22M and 28M Operational Class Aerostats are versatile, battle-proven, rapid deployment, persistent surveillance solutions. They are equipped to detect and track targets in the most challenging terrain, including those at sea. Courtesy of TCOM and YouTube)
TCOM 28M Aerostat in 2017 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards Program
The 2017 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards Program, organized to recognize the most distinguished vendors of Physical, IT, Port Security, Law Enforcement, First Responders, (Fire, EMT, Military, Support Services Vets, SBA, Medical Tech) as well as the Federal, State, County and Municipal Government Agencies – to acknowledge their outstanding efforts to ‘Keep our Nation Secure, One City at a Time.’
As an ‘ASTORS’ competitor, the TCOM 28M will be competing against the industries leading providers of innovative Maritime Perimeter Protection Systems.
Good luck to TCOM on becoming a Winner of the 2017 American Security Today’s Homeland Security Awards Program!
For more information, please visit the company’s website at http://www.tcomlp.com/sea-surveillance-systems/
