EMMA KELLY / PERTH
Australian Eye in the Sky communications/surveillance system claimed to be first of its kind in civil maritime use
Australia's customs service will have all five of its Bombardier Dash 8 turboprops equipped with a high-speed satellite communication system capable of transmitting real-time video, still images, voice and data by the end of March.
The aircraft feature the Eye in the Sky system developed by Australian specialist TC Communications, in conjunction with EMS Technologies, which has developed the transceiver; antenna manufacturer CMC Electronics; Inmarsat service provider Sita and Austrian company Scotty, which worked with TC to develop the application platform. Three aircraft had been equipped by mid-February: the fourth was due to undergo installation and testing last week and the fifth aircraft is to follow later this month as part of an A$8 million ($4.8 million) programme that includes equipment, installation and support, says Todd McDonnell, chief executive of TC Communications.
The aircraft are fitted with a forward-looking infrared sensor, surface search radar and a high-definition television system. Video, still images, voice and data communications are transmitted from the aircraft in real time to the Customs National Surveillance Centre in Canberra via the Inmarsat Swift 64 high-speed data service, using the Inmarsat land Earth station in Perth, Western Australia.
"It is the first time this type of solution has been developed and applied to civil maritime surveillance and border protection activity anywhere in the world," says McDonnell. The system is primarily used for maritime surveillance and border protection, but was used to pinpoint hotspots in the Canberra region during the recent bushfires, with data relayed directly to the bushfire control centre.
As well as maritime surveillance, TC has identified applications in mining, aerial surveillance, natural disaster response, remote education delivery, monitoring world heritage zones and deploying video communications. TC is negotiating with offshore interests on potential applications, says McDonnell. The Australian military is evaluating the system, while New Zealand is also looking at it, he adds.
Source: Flight International
