Raven Industries, Inc.

Vista Research, Inc.

George W Moe

Joseph W Maresca, Jr

Phillip A Fox

Michael Scott Smith

A method and apparatuses may be provided for detection, tracking, and classification of one or more land, maritime, or airborne objects using a real-aperture radar mounted on a parasail airborne platform. Both wide-area and localized radar surveillance can be provided, and the radar can be either a non-coherent radar or coherent radar. A method and apparatus may use a low-cost, rotating, single-beam, non-coherent, X-band radar that is mounted on an unmanned powered parasail and operated remotely like an Unattended Airborne System (UAS). The parasail, which may be expendable or recoverable, manned or unmanned, powered or unpowered, may have a low operational cost, can carry a heavy payload, stay on station for a long time, circle or move to a specified location for surveillance, operate at an optimal altitude and look-angle, and automatically cue or manually steer an EO/IR camera to a target of interest for classification and identification.

Detection and tracking of land, maritime, and airborne objects using a radar on a parasail

Methods and apparatuses for providing wide-area surveillance with a radar and/or other sensors from a stratospheric balloon launched from a land or ship platform for detection, tracking, and classification of maritime, land, and air objects such as ships, people/vehicles, or aircraft are described generally herein. In one or more embodiments, an apparatus is battery operated and includes a stratospheric balloon filled that is filled with helium when it is launched and a gondola with a radar system and communication equipment suspended therefrom. When launched, the apparatus can travel with the wind until it reaches an altitude of approximately 68,500 ft., then it can move substantially horizontally with the stratospheric winds until it returns to earth via a parachute. Multiple apparatus launches at periodic intervals can help provide continuous coverage of the surveillance area. The apparatus can be recovered and re-used or can be considered expendable.

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Columbia, MD, United States of America

George W Moe