US Army Awards Lockheed Martin $133 Million to Provide Persistent Threat Detection Aerostat Systems

8th October 2009 - 01:00 GMT | by The Shephard News Team

RSS

Lockheed Martin recently received a $133 million award to provide the US Army with eight additional Persistent Threat Detection Systems (PTDS) to support coalition forces.

A tethered aerostat-based system in use by the Army since 2004, PTDS is equipped with multi-mission sensors to provide long endurance intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and communications in support of coalition forces. Nine systems are currently deployed, and the additional eight will be provided over the next 11 months.

“PTDS is providing our troops in the field with real-time surveillance and valuable intelligence information,” said Stephanie Hill, vice president of Lockheed Martin’s Integrated Defense Technologies business. “These affordable and reliable systems demonstrate the increasing importance of rapidly deployable lighter-than-air platforms to today’s warfighters.”

Filled with helium, aerostats and other lighter-than-air systems provide low-cost, long-endurance communications and surveillance capabilities not possible with other types of aircraft. Attached by a high-strength tether to a re-locatable mooring system, aerostats can stay continuously aloft for weeks, carrying different types of surveillance equipment to conduct multiple missions.