., a developer of lighter-than-air aerostats and unmanned aerial systems, announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Lighter Than Air Systems Corp. (“LTAS”), has provided seven critical aerostat launcher electric main winches and spare components to support the Small Tactical Multi-Payload Aerostat System (“STMPAS”) for the U.S. Army Rapid Equipping Force (“REF”).
The LTAS custom designed, engineered and manufactured winch systems were requested by Georgia Tech Research Institute working with the REF in support of the STMPAS. STMPAS, although larger than the Blimp in a Box, is a tactical aerostat system designed to provide intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (“ISR”) capability for small tactical units in Afghanistan and other locations.
The LTAS aerostat launcher sub-systems include proprietary, in-house designed components enclosed in a compact unit, including a heavy-duty main winch, supporting electronics, onboard power charging and remote control for simplified user operation. The REF mission is to rapidly increase mission capability while reducing risk to soldiers by equipping operational commanders with off-the-shelf (government or commercial) solutions or near-term developmental items that can be researched, developed and acquired quickly.
The LTAS aerostat launcher sub-systems are engineered to provide significant benefits over competing systems, including reduced maintenance and overall operation costs, smaller footprint for operations, reduced operators required to manage the aerostat, decreased time for inflation/deflation, faster launch and recovery, and a simplified process.
WSGI President and CEO, Glenn D. Estrella, stated, “With the recent delivery of LTAS’ aerostat launcher sub-systems and spare components to support STMPAS, we are proud to be working with the REF and the Army in their missions at home and overseas. It is exciting for LTAS to be involved in supporting the warfighter by supplying products that meet such a critical and immediate need, and we look forward to continuing and expanding our relationships with these entities.”
Source: Press Release