Army forces in Afghanistan to receive aerostats

The Army has awarded a $383 million contract to Lockheed Martin to furnish and maintain aerostats that will provide warfighters with real-time aerial reconnaissance and surveillance of large swaths of terrain in Afghanistan, company officials said Nov. 14.

Under the contract, Lockheed Martin will maintain and operate the Persistent Threat Detection Systems, as the areostats are officially known.

The tethered aerostats are outfitted with multiple sensors that provide around-the-clock surveillance for military forces of the vicinity where they are deployed.