Tel Aviv: Israeli company RT LTA Systems., a leading developer and manufacturer of aerostat systems for surveillance and reconnaissance, has unveiled its new SkyStar aerostat.
According to the company, these systems are compact, mobile, user-friendly and cost-effective, capable of carrying diverse payloads up to an altitude of 500 metres.
The SkyGuard family, featuring large, blimp-shaped aerostats, can reach altitudes of up to 20,000 feet. The company is also developing new features and integrations, such as cellular connectivity, to elevate aerostat capabilities to the next level.
RT’s aerostat systems have been providing significant advantages for border protection, strategic facility security and across theaters of operation for many years, delivering real-time intelligence, early warning capabilities and enhanced situational awareness. The systems have incorporated a wide variety of payloads – from radars to COMINT / ELINT modules and E/O and I/R cameras, communication and other surveillance modules.
According to RT, it has completed the development and integration of a cellular communication system based on the SkyStar 330 platform. The new system was installed on a tactical and mobile aerostat system, and operated in recent months by one of its local clients.
The system’s advantages include rapid deployment capability, allowing it to be fully set up with communication and data channels established for users within about an hour from arrival on the site. The aerostat, operating at a height of approximately 500 metres AGL (Above Ground Level), creates a line of sight for dozens of kilometres in the area. In order to keep the aerostat as small as possible, the communication system is split into two parts, with only the essential equipment elevated into the air. The ground equipment is connected to the aerial payload via optical fibers within the tethered cable. The cable also provides a power supply to the system, ensuring high availability and continuous operation. The system is operated by a team of three, and in the next phase, which is already in advanced development stages, it will be operated remotely and autonomously.
Rami Shmueli, RT’s CEO stated, “After several months of integration and combining various systems, we are proud to present the new cellular communication system operating on a tactical and mobile aerostat platform. 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. From the experience we have gained in this process, I can say that we know how to integrate any operator from any country in the world. The system is suitable for both civilian and military uses.”
-The writer is an Israel-based freelance journalist. The views expressed are of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of Raksha Anirveda
