Tel Aviv. Israeli company BIRD Aerosystems, has delivered a complete ASIO Maritime Task Force Solution to an undisclosed African government. The ASIO Maritime Task Force Solution provided includes multiple Cessna Citation CJ3 aircraft that the company converted into Maritime Patrol Aircraft, together with BIRD’s advanced mission management system (MSIS) which was also installed on a number of vessels as well as at the naval HQ command.
According to BIRD Aerosystems, ASIO Maritime Task Force Solution provides customers with an integrated Aerial-Naval-Land solution. It facilitates maritime and coastal surveillance, patrol and survey of borders and strategic assets, and Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) monitoring capabilities. Leveraging BIRD’s MSIS for complete mission operational support, including planning, execution, debriefing, online mission updates, and complete situational awareness between all segments (airborne, naval & ground) within the task forces, ASIO delivers an extremely powerful, comprehensive and flexible maritime patrol solution, enabling efficient detection, tracking and interception of any suspicious activity at sea.
Company official added that ASIO integrates many platforms and systems carried by Fixed Wing surveillance aircraft tailored with maritime mission sensors, UAV , Naval Ships and HQ command posts. Information gathered from the various sensors is autonomously prioritized and automatically alerts of suspicious activities. According to the Israeli company, the ASIO aircraft provides all the participants in the mission to operate with an effective, integrated, real-time situational awareness overview over land and water, enabling efficient detection, tracking and interception of any suspicious activity.
The Special Mission Aircraft uses BIRD’s Ocean surveillance control and reconnaissance solution (OSCAR) system. OSCAR applies machine-learning algorithms on real-time maritime data sources such as satellite and terrestrial AIS, satellite SAR/EO/IR, LRIT, coastal radars, tactical sensors and more, and uses it to detect, analyse and prioritize suspicious vessels while providing automatic intelligence and threat assessments and alerts of any suspicious or illegal activity detected.
The Israeli company says that OSCAR is an affordable and quick to deploy solution delivering real-time intelligence and threat assessments for the vessels within the country’s areas of interest. The information provided by the OSCAR system, enables the customer to focus on specific vessels that were pointed out by the system as acting suspiciously, examine them, and incriminate the ones performing illegal activities.
Ronen Factor, Co-Chief Executive Officer and Founder at BIRD Aerosystems: “BIRD’s ASIO Maritime Task Force Solution, including the Cessna Citation CJ3 aircraft, will be used to defend the customer’s territorial waters, with an emphasis on detecting illegal fishing, oil theft, and smuggling. Rapidly deployed in multiple configurations, ASIO enables even small crews to deliver detailed and comprehensive surveillance information covering large geographic areas.”
-The writer is an International Roving Correspondent of the publication. Views expressed are personal and do not necessarily reflect the views of Raksha Anirveda
