The Phase I project effort will develop a rapidly deployable aerostat system capable of elevating communications relay equipment to an altitude of approximately 600 meters for the transmission and reception of voice and data information to U.S. Navy vessels in a logistic support mode. The aerostat system will supply the connectivity between the logistic support group and the sea-based end of a fiber optic cable leading to forces ashore. One of the aims of the study effort will be the design of an aerostat system which can be left unattended for a long period of time. The study will determine the aerostat design, power system, mooring platform and deployment methods for the aerostat system. In addition, computer simulations will be employed to determine the "red line" limits for the operation and survival of the aerostat system.
