Lockheed Martin delivered its first Lighter-Than-Air-based persistent Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) systems to the U.S. Navy more than 75 years ago. This enduring legacy of Lighter-Than-Air (LTA) innovation, engineering and production has resulted in more than 300 airships and thousands of aerostats in support of military operations world-wide.
Lockheed Martin LTA product line includes the U.S. Army’s Persistent Threat Detection System (PTDS), the U.S. Air Force’s Tethered Aerostat Radar System (TARS) and the U.S. Army’s unmanned High Altitude Airship (HAA™) currently in development. Based in Akron, OH, Lockheed Martin’s LTA ISR systems utilize a comprehensive system and sub-system testing facility, which features a dedicated LTA System Integration Lab, expansive facilities for production, system assembly, integration and final flight certification at the Akron Airdock.
High Altitude Airship
The Lockheed Martin High Altitude Airship (HAA), an un-tethered, unmanned LTA vehicle, will operate above the jet stream in a geostationary position to deliver persistent station keeping as a surveillance platform, telecommunications relay or weather observer. The HAA also provides the warfighter affordable, ever-present ISR and rapid communications connectivity over the entire battle space. The technology is available now and ready for integration and flight test.
Tethered Aerostat Systems
Lockheed Martin offers a full line of aerostat systems for domestic and international markets at envelope volumes ranging from 8K through 660K (660K= 660,000 cubic feet). The larger the aerostat, the greater the payload it can lift, and/or the higher the altitude at which it can operate. Aerostat systems are typically configured with a radar and/or electro-optical sensor to provide persistent, low-cost, wide-area surveillance. Additional payloads concurrently carried aloft by aerostats could include communications suites and other surveillance assets. Aerostat systems operate either as stand-alone sentries or as fully integrated nodes in C4I networks. The 420K model, equipped with a Lockheed Martin L-88 radar, is the baseline system for the U.S. Air Force's southern border Tethered Aerostat Radar System (TARS); the Army's Persistent Threat Detection System (PTDS) deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan is based on Lockheed Martin's 74K model.
