World Surveillance Group Inc (fka WSGI)

[WildWest]

4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, may have a new edge when they deploy this summer to Afghanistan....the BIB!


http://www.army.mil/article/97910/

FORT POLK, La. (March 7, 2013) -- When they deploy to Afghanistan this summer to assist in the drawdown of U.S. forces, the Soldiers of the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, will have a new edge.

The unit will be the first to use an on-the-move communications network that stays connected over vast distances, providing information throughout the brigade down to the lowest echelons. That capability will be critical as U.S. troops work closely with the Afghan forces, take down fixed infrastructure and become increasingly mobile and dispersed in their operations, leaders said.

"This is much needed in Afghanistan," said Brig. Gen. Walter E. Piatt, deputy commanding general for support, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry). Like their counterparts in the 4th Brigade Combat Team, or BCT, the Division's 3rd BCT will also be deploying as a Security Forces Advise and Assist Team, or SFAAT, with the new network later this year.

"Imagine you're a Soldier and you need information on a given area, or you want to see where units are located to your left and right," Piatt said. "You don't want to have to come back to headquarters; you don't want to have to force a transmission over a radio net just to get that. You want to have that information readily available. (This network) allows us to do that on the move, and allows us to do it dismounted as well."

Known as Capability Set 13, or CS 13, the package will allow the 10th Mountain units to utilize advanced satellite-based systems -- augmented by data radios, handheld devices and the latest mission command software -- to transmit voice/chat communications and situational awareness data throughout the SFAAT. On patrol inside mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles configured with components of CS 13, leaders will be able to exchange information and execute mission command using mobile communications technologies, rather than having to remain in a fixed location to access the network.

The Army targeted the two brigades as the first to receive CS 13 capability because they require advanced communications to carry out their advise-and-assist mission in Operation Enduring Freedom. While the Afghan forces will be taking a lead in operations, the SFAAT units will have the network capabilities to support with situational awareness and needs such as calls for air support, artillery support and other reach-back communications.

After several months of new equipment training to familiarize Soldiers with CS 13, the 4th BCT is now immersed in intensive final preparations for deployment. The prep includes a several weeks-long Joint Readiness Training Center rotation where they will use the gear in realistic operational scenarios based on the SFAAT mission.

The 10th Mountain brigades are also receiving lessons-learned and recommended tactics, techniques and procedures, known as TTPs, for using the equipment that were developed during the Army's Network Integration Evaluation, or NIE, process.

The semi-annual field exercises involve 3,800 Soldiers of the 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored Division, who use networked equipment as they execute mission threads in the rough terrain of White Sands Missile Range, N.M. The NIEs were used to integrate the CS 13 network and validate its performance prior to fielding. They also produced voluminous Soldier feedback that was incorporated into vehicle designs, handheld device configurations, software features and other elements of the capability set.

Capt. Joseph Perry, a company commander with 2/1 AD who has participated in several NIEs, said he looks forward to seeing how the SFAAT teams will ultimately use the network in theater.

"I'm really curious to see what their feedback is," he said. "I'd like to see the circle complete."

The brigades' deployment with CS 13 will be the culmination of a total Army effort to quickly field the capabilities, spanning dozens of commands and locations and requiring constant coordination among network and vehicle project managers, production facilities, brigade staffs and fielding and training professionals. Along with the sophistication of the equipment, the fielding effort was unique because it marked the first time the Army delivered a complete package of network technologies that was integrated up front, rather than providing each system independently.

"This is the way the Army needs to conduct business for this type of fielding," said Lt. Col. Bill Venable, the Army's system of systems integration "trail boss" assigned to 4/10. "Synchronizing equipment deliveries, vehicle touches, training and other elements makes sense for communications systems that are integrated across the BCT, and helps reduce the burden on the unit operating in a time-constrained environment."



World Surveillance Group and Lighter Than Air Systems Deliver Second Blimp in a Box Aerostat System to Department of Defense
BiB Systems Delivered to U.S. Army Garrison, Fort Polk, LA


KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL--(Marketwired - May 1, 2013) - World Surveillance Group Inc. (OTCQB: WSGI), a developer of lighter-than-air aerostats and unmanned aerial vehicles ("UAS"), today announced that, with the support of its wholly owned subsidiary Lighter Than Air Systems Corp. ("LTAS"), the operational team has delivered the second Blimp in a Box™ ("BiB") aerostat system to the U.S. Department of Defense ("DoD"). The delivery included not only demonstrations and testing of the BiB but also additional training sessions for soldiers at the Fort Polk, LA base as the systems are prepared for future military exercises. Formal DoD acceptance of the BiB system was issued following completion of the testing, training and a complete inventory accounting.

WSGI's and LTAS' operations were in cooperation with WSGI's wholly owned subsidiary Global Telesat Corp., who was awarded the contract from the DoD for a set of BiB systems in January 2013. The contract award included on-location support for technical fact gathering, installation and training for the BiB systems. The BiB is a self-contained mobile tactical aerostat system that can be towed from the back of a standard vehicle and is designed to provide semi-persistent, mobile intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance ("ISR") at the platoon level. Each BiB system can provide mobile ISR for days, weeks or months with the aerostat system only requiring a fifteen minute recovery and re-launch and a helium top-off every 24-36 hours.

WSGI President and CEO Glenn D. Estrella stated, "We are proud to have completed the scheduled delivery for the initial set of our BiB systems to the DoD under the terms of the contract and look forward to working closely with our customer as the BiB systems become involved in military exercises. We intend on utilizing all our resources to support our customer as we continue to advance the BiB tactical aerostat system."

For additional information please visit www.wsgi.com