As a first-responder commander, you have access to high-resolution, high-quality and timely aerial photos and live video for superior situational awareness and resource coordination. The benefits aren't limited to the commanders as the images and video from the aerostat can be printed or distributed/syndicated to other responders on the scene or coordinators anywhere in the world.

As a law-enforcement incident commander you no longer have to rely on expensive, low availability rotary-wing craft that can only remain on-station for an hour or two at best. With the rapid deployment surveillance systems from APC, you can have a helium-powered UAV on site for hours providing critical imagery for hostage situations, large-scale enforcement responses, crowd control and any time of incident that can benefit from an aerial perspective.

The LTAS 50 rapid deployment system is capable of being inflated, on-station at 400 feet above ground and providing aerial imagery within 15 minutes of arrival on site. The system can remain aloft for up to 4 hours on first launch. It takes less than 30 minutes to retrieve the aerostat, replace batteries and re-launch to 400 feet for another 4 hour cycle. The system can fly in winds up to 50mph with light precipitation. The LTAS 50 systems are the most versatile, most capable and easiest to use unmanned aerial systems available. With resolutions ranging from 640x480 pixels to over 14 million pixels, and live video combined with high-resolution still pictures, you achieve superior situational awareness that is vital to any emergency responder or law enforcement incident commander.

What can you see from these systems? There are two modes to each system, live video and digital still pictures. With the video you get a broad perspective at near-TV quality. The balloon will have motion, but you get a birds-eye view at 30 frames per second. If you require more detail, press a trigger and in 40 seconds or less you have a 14 million pixel image in your command vehicle or on a laptop in the fire station's main engine or a law-enforcement patrol car. A picture with enough detail you can zoom into a scene and identify people, read license plate numbers, read addresses and see critical details not possible with any other system. Details from an aerial view can save lives and vastly improve the quality of the response to any incident.

The LTAS 50 uses commercial, off-the-shelf technologies coupled with unique operational methods. The systems are deployable by non-technical personnel; essentially anyone that can use a digital camera and fly a kite can manage the deployment of an LTAS 50 system.

Key Benefits of the LTAS 50 System
• Incredible situational awareness with live video and high resolution still pictures
• On-station at 400 feet AGL within 15 minutes of site arrival
• Small storage requirements; one Helium cylinder and a small box
• Compatible with most command vehicles (not required)
• Cost-effective; per launch costs of less than $200
• Low training requirements
• Minimal maintenance required

There are three types of rapid response aerial surveillance systems:
• 2 megapixel live video with picture-in-picture zoom
• TV-quality live video with 14 megapixel digital still photos
• TV-quality live video

Aerial Products recently participated in a US Government managed Firefighter Safety and Deployment study at the Montgomery County training center outside Washington, DC. The intent of the study is to determine the optimal balance of engine companies, number of responders, and composition of first responders to a given type and size of incident.

Aerial Products was requested to provide aerial views for situational awareness to the operating units from the Fairfax and Montgomery County Firefighters participating in the exercises. Aerial Products was also invited to demonstrate aerial imaging systems to the Chiefs of Police and Fire Departments attending the designated media day.

There were three systems demonstrated, a low-cost, rapid response system using a 7 foot Kingfisher aerostat, a very capable, cost-effective 5 megapixel surveillance camera system using an 8 foot Kingfisher, and a 640x480 resolution miniature analog camera system using a 6 foot Kingfisher aerostat.