CNC Technologies Featured in January issue of Air Beat Magazine

By Ed Van Winkle, Director of Law Enforcement Sales/OEM Projects, CNC Technologies, LLC

Take look at CNC Technologies’ member profile in the new January issue of Air Beat Magazine.

Air Beat is a bi-monthly, full-color magazine dedicated to Airborne Public Safety. A full subscription, including the annual Buyer's Guide and special Conference Preview Issues, is included with your APSA Membership.

As seen in Air Beat Member Profile:

As CNC Technologies enters its fifth year in the airborne law enforcement industry, the company continues to grow in both number of customers supported and types of solutions offered. At inception, CNC primarily provided microwave video downlink solutions for customers, along with ongoing 24/7/365 support of those systems. CNC’s technical team has extensive experience in designing and maintaining complex microwave downlink systems that are used by city, county and state customers, as well as several foreign governments.

In the years since the company’s founding, CNC has significantly expanded its services footprint to provide design, development and implementation of complete aerial surveillance, counterterrorism and transmission solutions to meet a full suite of mission needs. This has included the launch of CNC Aviation, a new division which provides sales and leasing of new and used aircraft, enabling clients to purchase their entire airborne solution—from tactical mission suites to helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft—from a single point of contact.

The company has innovated on the technology side, as well, with the recent launch of CNC.Live, a secure, cloud-based video and data distribution system which can manage and distribute video from helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft and drones to any internet connected device. After making its debut as the aerial law enforcement hub for Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta, CNC.Live has been adopted by additional users, including the Florida Highway Patrol, Collier County (FL) Sheriff’s Office and Inglewood (CA) Police Department.

To better understand the key areas in which CNC operates, the company has put together the following guide to its major elements, which combine to form a comprehensive airborne law enforcement and communications solution.

Tactical Mission Suite

The mission suite refers to the tactical equipment installed on law enforcement aircraft that assist the tactical flight officer in determining the location of a call for service, identifying/pursuing/apprehending criminal suspects, conducting covert surveillance, and conducting search and rescue operations. The tactical mission suite is generally considered to include the following components:

• Thermal imager/camera.
• Moving map system.
• Monitors.
• Searchlight.
• Microwave downlink.

Even though the aircraft is often viewed by pilots as the most critical component of a law enforcement aviation program, the tactical mission suite has become the focal point for many aviation operations. The rapid and ongoing evolution of technology increases the importance of regular upgrades to all items of mission equipment in order to equip the TFO to perform his or her job effectively and impactful.

Just as critical to the operation of the tactical mission suite is the design and integration of the system on the aircraft. The CNC team is able to assist agencies in selecting the appropriate mission suite that meets their operational needs. This extends to helping coordinate equipment demonstrations and/or recommendations from existing customers. CNC’s technical team specializes in providing detailed system designs for the tactical mission suite, as well as pin-to-pin drawings to assist the aircraft OEM or completion center in the proper installation of each component. The CNC technical team is onsite with the OEM or completion center to ensure each aircraft is commissioned properly and ready to work when the customer takes delivery of the finished product.

Data Management

The tactical mission suite generates a significant amount of information and data, which can be used in a variety of ways to support law enforcement personnel on the ground. Recorded video from thermal imagers/cameras can be used as evidence in court, and live video can be transmitted to the ground via microwave downlink and sent to a command center, real-time crime center, operational commanders or other personnel.

The use and distribution of aircraft data is a critical component of the law enforcement tactical mission suite. Video from imagers and moving map systems can be recorded onboard aircraft through the moving map, and agencies then decide how to use the video for evidence, training and other purposes. Or, they can decide not to record at all.

When microwave downlink video is received on the ground at a fixed or mobile receive site, it has little value until it is distributed for viewing by operational personnel. Most agency chiefs, sheriffs or commissioners consider their aircraft to be out-of- service if they are unable to see the live video generated from the aircraft during a critical incident or in-progress crime. Once the video and data are received on the ground, the information can be distributed in several different ways:

• From a fixed receive site. Video can be sent directly into an emergency operations center or real-time crime center and viewed live on a monitor by operational personnel. Video can be sent to an agency’s video management system, which makes it available to all personnel with access. Or, video can be sent directly to CNC.Live, a secure cloud-based system that keeps the data off of the agency’s network and allows access by a large number of users.
• From a mobile receiver. Video can be sent from a mobile receiver via a cellular wireless bridge directly to a secure cloud-based system. The video source can be a handheld or suitcase microwave receiver, or it can be the video output from a drone controller/receiver. The video output is connected to a device that utilizes one or more cellular SIM cards to transmit the video signal up to the secure cloud-based system.

CNC Technologies is able to coordinate with aviation staff, command staff and agency information technologies personnel to select and implement a data management program for the distribution of live aircraft video and data.

When microwave downlink capabilities are added to an agency’s aircraft fleet, it is important to have a plan for operational personnel to access live video in the emergency operations center and real-time crime center and on in-progress incident scenes. Whether it is distributed through the agency’s video management system or sent to a secure cloud-based system such as CNC.Live, it is imperative that agencies make live video from helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft and drones available to law enforcement operators and commanders on the ground.

Aircraft Acquisition

In addition to providing tactical mission suites, CNC is able to act as the prime contractor to provide turnkey aircraft to its customers. Law enforcement aircraft purchases can be complex due to the integration of the law enforcement mission suite into the basic aircraft.

The airframe manufacturer builds and installs basic options and some avionics into airframes, then the law enforcement mission suite and additional options are installed (commonly referred to as aircraft completion). CNC can help its customers with any of three primary ways an aircraft can be purchased.

When decided on one of the three purchasing strategies, warranties and ongo- ing support are critical. The aircraft and engines have a standard warranty based on a combination of flight hours and calendar years. The installed avionics and options also have a warranty, typically based on calendar years.

The law enforcement mission suite deserves special consideration in a new aircraft purchase. The aircraft OEM or completion center can purchase the individual items directly from their manufacturer and install them. However, there is no ongoing support, except for warranty of the actual equipment, once the customer takes delivery. In order to fully support its customers, CNC can purchase mission equipment, design its integration and provide it to the manufacturer or completion center and provide ongoing support of the entire mission suite after the aircraft is in service. The aircraft mission equipment, including the microwave downlink, can be designed to operate in conjunction with an agency’s ground-based microwave downlink infrastructure and data management plan for a fully integrated mission system. Agencies should strongly consider this model when implementing their aircraft fleet replacement plans.

In the past few years, CNC Technologies has been awarded several major contracts as the prime contractor to provide aircraft, mission equipment and completion services for the:

• California Highway Patrol. CNC was awarded a five-year contract to provide up to 15 Cessna 208B Grand Caravans that are fully equipped for law enforcement surveillance missions.
• Massachusetts State Police. CNC was awarded a contract to provide up to four Airbus H135 helicopters for patrol operations across the State of Massachusetts.
• Pennsylvania State Police. CNC was awarded a contract to provide one Cessna 208B Grand Caravan that was fully equipped for law enforcement surveillance missions.

Training

When aircraft or new systems are sold to a customer, CNC commissions them to ensure they are working properly and inter- facing with the agency’s microwave downlink ground infrastructure. The company also provides system training for TFOs, maintenance and information technologies staff to ensure that agency personnel can operate the systems. In late 2020, CNC added a full- time trainer who is a retired law enforcement pilot and TFO to its staff, and in 2021, the company will expand its training division to incorporate aircraft management, mission suite and operational training.

CNC Technologies has distinguished itself as a leader in the airborne law enforcement community since its inception in 2016. Whether providing microwave downlink systems, full tactical mission suites or new aircraft with full law enforcement completions, CNC will continue to set the standard for customized solutions and superior support for its customers. Before you move forward with a mission suite upgrade or the purchase of a completed aircraft, check out the CNC Technologies team and the benefits the company can bring to your aviation purchase.