Aerostat Radar Singapore

[Jamey Saldana]

Ministerfor Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen observed the local testing of the aerostat system at Choa Chu Kang Camp earlier today. The Ministry of Defence had earlier announced that the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) plans to deploy an aerostat to complement the Singapore Armed Forces' (SAF's) suite of sensors to identify potential aerial and maritime threats early. This will allow for timely and decisive response to safeguard Singapore's peace and security.

The aerostat has completed initial tests at the manufacturer's facility in the United States, and is proceeding to the next stage of testing by the manufacturer in Singapore. The tests will involve progressive and comprehensive checks on all aspects of the aerostat as well as complex system tuning for local operations. This will ensure that the aerostat meets the RSAF's stringent operational requirements and high safety standards before it is deployed for operations.

When deployed, the aerostat will have several safety features. It will be secured to its ground mooring station with high-strength winch lines and a Kevlar tether built to withstand strong winds and lightning strikes. Radiation emissions from the radar equipment on the aerostat will be as safe as that of mobile phones, and have been certified in accordance with the IEEE C95.1-2005 standard - the same standard applied to certify the safety of mobile phones and microwave ovens.

Security agencies in Singapore need to continually guard against threats to Singapore's air and sea space. In recent years, our agencies have put in place robust surveillance and early warning systems to guard against aerial and maritime threats. However, these existing systems are facing increasing constraints, mainly due to the construction of taller buildings which prevent the systems from establishing a clear line of sight.

The aerostat that the SAF intends to deploy will be a tethered balloon system with 24/7 low-level radar coverage. It will be deployed sufficiently high enough so as to have a clear line of sight over Singapore's air and sea space, and will complement the SAF's suite of sensors to identify potential aerial and maritime threats early for timely and decisive response to safeguard Singapore's peace and security.

Aerostats have been used by different agencies in the world since the 1980s for functions such as early warning and radio re-broadcast. There have been significant developments in aerostats in the past decades, particularly in terms of reliability and safety. Norms and regulations have also been established to govern their safe operation. Currently, a number of security agencies, such as the US Customs and Border Protection Agency, use aerostats to meet their operational requirements.

Safety Measures

The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) has put in place strong safety procedures that are in line with regulations developed by the US Federal Aviation Authority for the operations of the aerostat system. In addition, the RSAF has been working with the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore to plan the safe operations of the system in Singapore's congested airspace, and safety procedures such as issuing Notice-to-Airmen to inform aviators of the aerostat's presence.

Lightning protection certified to the Society of Automotive Engineer Aerospace Recommended Practice 5412A standards, operating procedures and emergency-handling procedures have also been put in place to ensure the safety of the aerostat system's operations. Preventive measures, such as proper training and regular maintenance, have also been established to minimise risk.

The radiation level emitted by the radar on board the aerostat is as safe as that of mobile phones, and has been certified in accordance with IEEE C95.1-2005 standards (i.e., that emissions are within safe limits to the population). This is the same standard applied to certify the safety of mobile phones, microwave ovens and MRI scanners.

The aerostat will be secured to the ground mooring station through winch lines and a tether built to withstand strong winds and lightning strikes. The tether is made of Kevlar, and is by far the strongest in its class.

Known as an aerostat, the balloon will be tethered to the ground and house a surveillance radar that can spot hostile aerial and sea threats from as far as 200km away. These include straying civilian light aircraft, small boats and even mobile missile launchers.

Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said on Tuesday that the 55m-long blimp will be deployed from inside a military camp, adding that the balloon will "improve our surveillance capabilities significantly". He however did not disclose the camp's location.

Dr Ng said that the aerostat will complement Singapore's existing early warning and information-gathering systems that are facing increasing constraints, due mainly to the construction of taller buildings that prevent them "from establishing a clear line of sight".

"In order to see far, you have to be very high with no buildings to block you...Our ground-based radar systems can only operate above high-rise buildings," said Dr Ng at his ministry's PRoductivity and Innovation in Daily Efforts (PRIDE) Day awards ceremony held at Nanyang Polytechnic .

Operated by the Republic of Singapore Air Force, the aerostat can hover at a height of 2000ft, or a 200-storey building, and transmit detailed data to the ground immediately. The information will also be shared with other security agencies such as the Police Coast Guard.

Aerostats have been used by law enforcement agencies around in the world since the 1980s. They include the US Customs and Border Protection Agency which uses aerostats to scan the skies for suspicious aircraft activity.

Increasing geopolitical tensions in the South China Sea have created a strategic impetus for the United States and its regional allies to reassess what, how, where, and when a real or perceived threat becomes imminent to strategic interests in this region of the world. Now more than ever, persistent situational awareness is critical. However, unlike traditional landlocked conflict zones, the South China Sea presents a unique challenge as ISR must be successful in multi-modal environments including air, land, and maritime environments.

Tactical Class Aerostat systems such as the 12M, 17M, 22M, and 28M are ideal for maritime deployment, on land, or directly from a vessel at sea. These aerostats can be assembled and deployed in a very short period and manned by a minimal crew. This allows commanders to use the aerostat system in areas, or when escorting a High-Value Unit (HVU). The aerostat system can carry payloads including day/night EO/IR cameras, radars, communications relays, and electronic warfare packages. The aerostat can be deployed from the deck of a vessel or a static location such as a a dock or onshore mooring station. The larger size aerostat systems (22M, 28M) have greater capacity that allows the Operational Class systems to operate at higher altitudes for greater surveillance range while remaining aloft for up to two weeks at a time, ensuring round-the-clock persistent surveillance for highly trafficked areas and maritime borders.

Aerostats systems have the payload size, weight and power capacity to support high-performance radars that can detect aircraft operating well beyond the coverage of ground-based radars. With an advanced maritime radar, a single sea surveillance system can track maritime targets at distances of 60 nautical miles and cover thousands of square miles for weeks at a time. In addition to the radar, the aerostat can simultaneously support passive surveillance payloads like COMINT, SIGINT, and ELINT, thermal imaging and optical sensors, as well as communications payloads at the lowest possible hourly cost for an airborne asset. The early detection and direct communications with air and sea assets afford the critical window of time to evaluate the situation, coordinate forces, and engage.

How does it work? Consider the scenario of a crowded port environment where many ships and small craft are transiting through highly congested waterways. A naval vessel enters a port but is limited to using surveillance equipment that looks outward from the deck level. There may also be ground-based equipment on shore. Together these systems are unable to see all the critical activity at the water level. A low, fast moving boat quickly approaches a larger vessel undetected by traditional methods. This scenario occurred in 2000 with the terrorist attack on the USS Cole in Yemen. Aerostat system monitoring the entire port area from hundreds or thousands of feet above would provide early warning to the larger vessel, allowing for a timely reaction. The system could have provided actionable intelligence that allowed for a greater window of time for forces to intercept or engage.

Aerostats provide a highly beneficial secondary function. Any increase in effectiveness of supported troops is very quickly attributed to the aerostats and significantly modifies threat behaviors while the system is in flight. As this effect applies in the case of land applications, U.S. forces at Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) were often assaulted by lone insurgents, and improved explosive devices were placed just outside normal observation areas. Invariably, the deployment of aerostats to the FOBs saw an immediate increase in allied counterstrikes. Within a short amount of time, local leadership would find that enemy operations had relocated entirely or were curtailed exclusively to times when the aerostat was not flying.

Within the maritime domain, this same effect was found to be true for counter narcotics operations in the Caribbean Sea. Additionally, aerostats have proven highly effective at monitoring migrant vessels and providing cues to rescue operations when necessary.

Just like the best engineered automobiles or aircraft, aerostats are not perfect. They need to be tested and designed to meet specific field conditions and payloads. Additionally, operators must be well trained to to achieve maximum effectiveness. In contradiction to some, apparently uninformed media reports , history clearly shows that aerostats are highly reliable. Moreover, they have been and are still successfully used around the world in regional conflict zones such as the Middle East, Afghanistan, the Indian sub-continent, North America, and soon to be in Southeast Asia. With a proven track record of 45 years with millions of airborne hours of persistent surveillance in austere environments, aerostats are here to stay and are growing as innovators continue to find new uses for this reliable lighter-than-air platform.

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