Persistent Aerial Surveillance

LTAS Aerostat Surveillance Systems From tactical quick-deploy systems to long-duration crowd, border and facility patrol systems. From 250 to 2,000 feet.	Mast Systems Vehicle and trailer mounted systems. From 50 to 100 feet.

Aerial Products Persistent Aerial Surveillance Overview

Aerial Surveillance for civil crowd control and large urban area observation require persistent platforms that can be operated by lightly trained but efficient teams. The most effective civil aerial surveillance platforms are helium-powered UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles), which in our terms mean wind-capable aerostats, heavy-lift polyurethane balloons, and pneumatic masts.

Aerial Products has combined years of experience in aerostat manufacturing, aerial photography system design and manufacturing, with extensive knowledge of secure data networking and image sensor expertise. The result is the LTAS Series - Aerostat Surveillance Systems and Mast Systems. The LTAS 100 is a completely new concept in aerial imaging, designed for urban environments, while the LTAS 200 and 300 series are more traditional technologies and are designed for borders, ports and areas where lighting conditions require thermal imagers.

A UAV that requires fuel and mechanical parts to keep it airborne will eventually fail. In fact, the failure rate of many military UAVs is 1 in 5 launches. That means every 5 times you use the system, odds are there is going to be an expensive mishap. The failure rate of commercial and civil UAVs is so high the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) does not allow UAV flights in populated areas. Remote areas are fine for UAVs. When (not if…) a UAV crashes while on border patrol, you probably won’t hear about it on the 6 o’clock news. If a UAV crashes on someone’s BMW, or worse, civilians get hurt, it will be heard around the world.

Aerial Products provides practical solutions for persistent airborne surveillance without the failure rate of typical UAVs.

LTAS Lighter-Than-Air Surveillance Systems (pronounced El-Tass)
• Flexible Lighter-Than-Air Balloon Platform
• LTAS Aerostat systems - operate at up to 2,000 feet
• Systems from "days on station" to quick deployment tactical systems

Mast Systems - 50 feet to 100 feet
• Hitch mounted on nearly any vehicle
• Tripod mount
• Self-contained trailer mounted

Key Characteristics of APC Systems

While each system is designed to have strengths in certain areas, all APC systems share key characteristics, which include:
• Fully networked cameras – Provides for a control-room approach for monitoring or in-the-field monitoring, at the same time.
• Unique wireless capabilities – Syndicate video over 802.11 radios, cellular networks via 3g Rev. A, Emergency Band data networks, and analog at multiple frequencies.
• Modular design – Components can be upgraded as needed to fulfill mission requirements.
• Gyro-stabilized gimbals – With varying levels of stability, each system is capable of providing suitable video and images for fast detection and analysis.

Why a balloon or mast instead of a manned helicopter, fixed-wing airplane or UAV?

Let's look at the answer to this question from the perspective of each stakeholder in the evaluation of aerial surveillance needs.

Now let's look at these different stakeholder perspectives in more detail:

Decision maker

• Long-time system life cycle - The equipment remains viable for its mission for many years. The more delicate components, like the balloon, are also the lowest cost components to replace.
• Easy to deploy and operate - No airfield is required, and all equipment fits into a self-contained trailer/launcher. The systems are much cheaper than helicopters so multiple units can be purchased and positioned at various locations.
• Flexible mission capabilities - Unlike helicopters or conventional UAVS, the aerostat and mast can remain aloft for many hours and in adverse weather conditions. Further, both can be launched in a matter of minutes and recovered and relocated in a matter of minutes.
• Lowest risk of civilian harm and property damage - Although it is possible for the aerostat to lose Helium containment and come down, it is likely to do so in a controlled and slow manner. The risks of civilian damage or injury are far less than alternative UAVs.
• Modular systems with excellent upgrade paths for reduced risk of obsolescence - With a modular approach, when certain components become dated they can be replaced without writing off the entire investment. For example, as data networks improve, upgrades can be made to the 802.11 radios. If the improvements are significant, cameras can be upgraded to take advantage of higher data rates. Lastly, as components become smaller, the balloons themselves can be replaced with versions requiring less Helium.

Financial Sponsor

• Lowest total cost of ownership (TCO) of any alternative aerial platform for surveillance - When evaluating Aerial Products’ systems on a TCO basis, there are no equals. The military has additional criteria when conducting TCO analysis. They add mission effectiveness to the model. We invite critical analysis of cost, balanced with effectiveness and will enthusiastically support this effort with our customers.
• Lowest liability approach - Mishaps can and will happen. The aftermath of an incident involving an aerostat is likely to be limited to little or no civilian damage. The equipment may get damaged, but ancillary harm to private persons or property has low odds of occurring. Appropriately, liability insurance for operation of an aerostat or mast is much cheaper than other UAVs.
• Investment model and operations expense similar to other emergency-use and related equipment - As with an Emergency Management bus or trailer, or a fire truck, the cost to operate the LTAS or Mast surveillance system is a variable cost model, based on frequency of use. If the system is not deployed, it is not consuming resources like dedicated operating personnel, dedicated maintenance staff or consumable fuels and energy.
• Very low maintenance expenses - Without engines, navigation electronics, or manned-critical backup systems, a balloon is much less expensive to maintain than the alternatives. And, the electronic payloads and sub-systems (networks, data transmission, detector and gimbal) are supported by a flat rate maintenance plan.
• Low operating expenses - Helium is expensive and getting more so every year. However, for helicopters so is fuel, training of mechanics, retention and retraining of key personnel, and of course having more than one airframe for high-availability deployments.

System Operator

• Minimal technical capabilities required to operate - All systems share common traits from an engineering focus on operations and cost
• Small training footprint for operating and maintaining the system - How effective is a bouncing, jittery image with the subject so small you can’t tell man from dog and a flight time of less than 30 minutes? A lot can happen between launch and recover cycles which means you need more than one, probably more than three, powered UAV drones in order to provide reasonable surveillance coverage. Balloons and Aerostats are Helium-powered UAVs capable of accomplishing most missions.
• Operational flexibility for multiple mission types - Balloons, Aerostats and Masts provide coveragefrom 50 to 2000 feet
• Quick deployment to unscheduled events - Masts are fast-deployed
• Part-time crewing on an as-needed basis - With minimal training requirements and ease of deployment, scheduling crews and operating cycles is easily accomplished.

Aerial Products Surveillance Systems

Persistent • Reliable • Flexible • Quick Deployment • Low Total Cost of Ownership