The GSN 2015 Digital Yearbook

GSN 2015 DIGITAL YEARBOOK OF AIRPORT/SEAPORT/BORDER SECURITY AWARDS RECIPIENTS
TCOM, LP
2015 Winner
Best Surveillance Systems
Awards Category:
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Best Coastal Surveillance Solution
Name of Nominated Product, Service,
or Program:
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71M Low Altitude Surveillance System
Reason this entry deserves to win:
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Maintaining continuous aerial security is a daunting information needed to secure the skies.
task. Threats such as low-flying, extremely fast aircraft
can take advantage of the earth’s curvature and exploit SURVEILANCE FOR COASTS OF THE U.S.
terrain obstructions. This renders ground-based radars AND ITS ALLIES VIA AEROSTATS
unable to provide target information in time to take Now, specifically, given the recent terroristic threats
appropriate action. Slow, low flying missiles with a small from terrorists attacking with small suicide boats large
cross section may also avoid early detection and pose a U.S. ships, pirates taking over commercial fleets, to
significant threat. Manned aerial surveillance can decrease
the risk for short periods of heightened alert, but immigration and drug smuggling via oceans and wa-
protecting the borders of the United States from illegal
the operational costs are much too high for extended terways, to detecting threats, persistent surveillance of
use. To meet this airborne coverage challenge effectively TCOM’s aerostats have become a staple in what Homeland
Security and US Military have been using here and
and inexpensively, TCOM developed the 71M Low
Altitude Surveillance System. With over 1,000,000 hours in the Gulf. Monitoring territorial waters on a round-theclock
basis while providing intelligence in time to take
of operation these systems are the only operational
airborne defense assets to routinely provide the continuous
round-the-clock, low altitude target detection Ground-based and shipboard systems have a limited
appropriate action is a major challenge to many nations.
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