A private Israeli company that manufactures aerostats and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance balloons.

RT’s chief client is the Israeli military. The company’s first prototype was developed according to the specific requirements of the Israeli military.

The company’s aerostatic surveillance balloons “SkyStar 180”, were initially designed for military use and were deployed on the Gaza Strip. The Israeli military combat intelligence collection units have used the company’s SkyStar aerostat systems, SkyStar 180 and SkyStar 30, for collecting tactical intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance in the Occupied West Bank and Gaza. SkyStar 330 Tactical Aerostats are also in operational use by the Israeli military. The surveillance Aerostat is operated by military observers, who undergo special training for this purpose. The aerostats are provided to the military under a multiyear leasing contract with the Israeli Ministry of Defense.

RT LTA’s SkyStar surveillance balloons were deployed in consecutive military assaults on Gaza in 2008-2009, 2012 and in 2014. In the 2014 assault, the Israeli military operated 14 RT balloons. In 2012, RT’s Skystar 300 systems and crew took active part in various missions around Gaza during Israeli military operation.

In 2017, RT tested new technology, a SkyStar 110 micro surveillance balloon, in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank. In 2018, an identical balloon was documented stationed over a number of Palestinian villages west of Jenin in the West Bank. RT balloons are also stationed on Route 443, a settler road in the West Bank.

Services to Israeli Police

RT LTA Skystar Tactical Aerostats systems are also in use by the Israeli Police. In 2015, RT LTA was awarded a two-year contract with the Israeli police for the lease of the company’s Skystar 180 aerostats by the hour, with crew, for tasks issued by the police.

In the summer of 2014, RT supplied 5 surveillance balloons to the Jerusalem Municipality as part of the security apparatus in occupied East Jerusalem. The balloons were deployed over Palestinian residential neighborhoods and the Old City. The model deployed in East Jerusalem was the SkyStar 180, three of the balloons were equipped with high quality network-connected video cameras, which stream pictures in real time to police units on the ground and the other two were decoys used for deterrence. One of the balloons was positioned in the Palestinian neighborhood of Shuafat and one in the settlement neighborhood of the French Hill.

The SkyStar 180 system includes an aerial camera payload, named TR-stamp, manufactured by Controp Company.