World Border Security Congress2019-08-01 12:03:05
The Hellenic Coast Guard has put into trial operation a Tethered Aerostat, after successfully testing it at the Greek island of Samos last Thursday, with the help of the European Border and Coast Guard Organization (FRONTEX).
For 28 days, the 35-meter long balloon will be uninterruptedly monitoring the maritime field in real time, on a 24-hour basis.
The FRONTEX and the Hellenic Coast Guard tested the Tethered Aerostat on Thursday during a workshop held in Samos, in which were demonstrated the capabilities of the ground-controlled balloons for coastal surveillance.
According to a press release of the Hellenic Coast Guard, the Aerostat, which has a radar, a thermal camera, and an Automatic Identification System, has now been put into trial, starting Tuesday, July 30th.
“After successfully completing the testing of its systems, it will be put into trial operation from Tuesday 30/07/2019, for a 28-day period, with the aim of uninterrupted monitoring of the maritime field in real time and on a 24-hour basis,” the notice reads.
It also explains that the balloon can also be placed up to 1,000 meters away from the base station.
At the same time, a portable sensor station has also been deployed on the island of Samos. The station has the necessary equipment to help compare the operational capabilities and on-board calibration capabilities of the balloon, in real time. The equipment was provided by the Portuguese National Guard (GNR) maritime surveillance system.
“This pilot activity is part of the Poseidon Joint European Operation, which has been running on a continuous basis since May 2008 under the auspices of the CS Leaders and under the supervision of the FRONTEX Agency,” the press release of the Hellenic Coast Guard further announces.
Through this project, the Hellenic Coast Guard is the first Coast Guard member of the European Union to use a Tethered Aerostat to police the maritime field and to fight cross-border crime.
