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