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Company billboards use of small aerostats

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla., Aug. 23 (UPI) -- Small tethered aerostats capable of carrying cameras, communications and sensing devices are being developed by World Surveillance Group Inc.

The tactical aerostats -- called Blimp in a Box (BiB) -- can be tethered to vehicles such as a pickup truck for real-time intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance information.

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"The BiB system is self-contained and can either be towed behind an all-terrain vehicle or operate from the bed of a pickup truck." World Surveillance Group said. "True to its name, it is transported in a metal box, ready to deploy quickly and easily.

"The system is designed to allow the aerostat to remain airborne for days with a quick helium top off every 24 hours or so. The BiB can be deployed up to an altitude of 2,000 feet providing line-of-sight coverage of up to 30 miles."

The company said it sees demand for the aerostats from government and commercial organizations for use in military and homeland defense operations, including detection of improvised explosive devices, border security, drug interdiction and natural disaster relief.

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