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TCOM LP of Columbia, MD received a contract to provide the U.S. Army with sixteen 17M Tactical Aerostat Systems to support U.S. troops during ongoing hostilities in Iraq. The contract award is valued at approximately $12 million and is part of a prime RAID 3 (Rapid Aerostat Initial Deployment) contract awarded to Raytheon by the Army. Work will be performed at TCOM’s headquarters in Columbia, MD with production activities conducted at TCOM’s Manufacturing and Flight Test Facility in Elizabeth City, NC.
Trailer mounted for ease of transport and deployment, this system can be operated by three people and deployed in less than two hours. Carrying payloads to operating altitudes of 1000 feet, the system provides persistent surveillance, staying aloft for up to a week at a time. DID has covered JLENS and RAID surveillance and communications aerostats before, as well as the USMC’s TCOM 32M MARTS communications aerostat and the general rise of this new military sector.