Landa Mobile Systems was recently selected for Department of Defense, Missile Defense Contract

When you hear the words “missile defense,” your first thought is likely about a system to protect us from incoming missiles, like the old Strategic Defense Initiative and its successor programs (which are still in development to this day).

But there’s another important aspect of missile defense: protecting the missiles themselves, from lightning strikes for instance.

Mobile towers from Landa Mobile Systems were recently selected for that purpose by the United States Department of Defense Missile Defense Agency.  After extensive testing, Landa’s patented Model LMS106 HW portable telescopic lattice towers were deployed in the South Pacific. The Landa units were chosen for reliability, durability, and capability to hold up to the wind — rated to withstand up to 105 mph wind speed in unguyed deployment. They have operated without issues and are among the most reliable in the industry.  Never in the history of the company has a Landa tower been blown over.

The first of the attached photos shows the Model LMS106 HW as it is being utilized for lightning protection during a pathfinder mission last March.  

Scott Robinson, MDA/TCT test engineer on the project, said,  “The second one you see in the background is also an LMS106 HW. We emplace it near the transportation truck to protect the rocket stage until we stack it on the pad. Then we move it to its launch position so that we have two fixed and two portable towers in place to provide protection on all sides. The portable towers allow us freedom of movement around the pad for cranes and other rocket support systems until the rocket

is stacked.”

The Landa towers provide lightning protection by intercepting a lightning strike that would otherwise hit the missile, and directing it safely to ground, in exactly the same way that a lightning rod protects a tall building.  The hot-dipped galvanized steel construction of the towers is one of the most commonly used materials for lightning protection systems.

The 106-foot maximum height LMS106 HW is one of eight models of mobile lattice towers that Landa manufactures. Ranging in height from 65 to 150 feet tall, they are built to military standards to withstand extremes of heat, cold, salt, moisture and wind, and are EMP secure.  They also incorporate a patented key system which makes it possible to raise or lower the tower without external power, using only a cordless drill.

Landa also manufactures a single mast mobile tower solution, a complete line of crank-up mast systems with a maximum height of 72 feet.  These are mounted to Landa’s patent pending trailer design, and can be configured with a variety of options including a solar array and shelter.  The Landa crank-up mast systems were designed and built with military specifications, specifically with Middle East deployments in mind.  And they will perform reliably in the harshest, most rugged environments.

They also manufacture telescopic mobile towers in three sizes, one of which — the 20-foot tall LMS20 SM — is self-powered with a built-in 480-watt solar array. Rounding out Landa’s mobile tower line is a series of truck mounted models, ranging in maximum height from 106 to 150 feet.

Mobile towers have many uses beyond serving as lightning rods for ICBMs on the launch pad.  One of the most common is as “Cell on Wheels” or COW installations, providing a mobile, temporary cell phone tower.  This is very useful to add capacity to the cell network in many situations, including newsworthy events where many people are gathered, such as music festivals or sports events.  COWs are also used in remote areas during emergencies, such as forest fires, and during and after natural disasters when the permanent cell network infrastructure has been damaged.

Landa model LMS150 HD towers were deployed by T-Mobile in New Jersey in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.  Installed in July of 2013, they were still up and running with no issues over two and a half years later!

COWs are sometimes used in place of permanent cell tower installations, and Landa mobile towers’ durability and reliability make them ideal for this kind of use.  One of Landa’s long-term customers is Guam Telecom, which purchased model LMS85 HW towers for the third time last year.  They stand up to all the challenges of wind, salt air, and storms the Pacific Ocean can throw at them, including 165-mph hurricane winds during a 2015 storm, and keep the remote island territory connected to the world.

Landa’s mobile towers are deployed at locations around the world, including Canada, Mexico, Central America, Africa and the Middle East.  They have been deployed by most branches of the United States military domestically and in confidential locations around the world.

Other applications for Landa’s mobile towers include firewatch (in one instance, the Landa tower passed a series of 200 stability tests with only a single anomaly), and as stations for lidar sensors and cameras.  Placing lidar sensors and camera on mobile towers allows for the creation of extremely high resolution 3D maps very quickly.  This is especially useful for sites like mines, quarries, asphalt plants or concrete yards, where lidar maps can track stocks and changing terrain quickly and without disruption to operations.

Landa Mobile Systems manufactures other products in addition to portable towers.  Landa climber training towers are built in monopole and lattice styles, can be configured to client specifications, and are used by universities, unions and companies to safely teach climbing skills.

In addition to its lines of mobile towers, Landa Mobile Systems is a leading manufacturer of gin poles.  These important lifting tools are used in a wide variety of applications — construction, salvage, oil and gas operations, and mining, to name a few.  Landa manufactures gin poles in round, square lattice and triangular lattice configurations, in lengths up to 143 feet.  Gin poles meet or exceed all required industry and government safety standards, and are sold with all required documentation and certificates.

Landa also manufactures a complete line of communication shelters.  These are available in preset configurations in sizes from 8×8 feet to 10×12 feet, or can be designed and manufactured to client specifications.

Shelters can be mounted on trailers, paired up with a mobile tower, or built standalone.   A standard build is rated to withstand up to 120 mph wind speeds and Landa offers options that raise that limit higher.  Landa shelters operate in all environments, including the Arctic and Antarctic.  They can be flown into remote locations and assembled on site by Landa or client personnel, or assembled at the factory prior to shipment.  All required engineering documents are provided, and Landa will furnish copies for the life of the shelter building, regardless of owner, at no charge.

Completing Landa’s product list are its line of mobile flare towers.  These are invaluable in oil production facilities where pipelines or other means to transport raw natural gas away are not available.  Landa manufactures three models of flare tower, in 30-, 50-, and 60-foot heights.  All of Landa’s mobile flare towers come with a set of five different burn nozzles to meet different needs and are EPA certified.  They come mounted to a trailer which can be towed by a standard pickup truck, both on and off-road.

Landa’s products, including tower construction, shelter skids and walls, and trailer steel are manufactured using 100% USA recycled steel.

Headquartered in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Landa Mobile Systems, LLC is a member of the National Association of Tower Erectors. Headed by CEO Michael D. Landa, it is a minority owned, service disabled veteran owned, Small Business Administration certified Small Disadvantaged Business.  Landa’s manufacturing and assembly facilities in Tulsa, Oklahoma, are located within an SBA Historically Underutilized Business Zone. They are a supplier to the Federal Government under GSA contract #GS-07F-106DA.

Landa Mobile Systems’ client list includes Sprint, BAE Systems, the Missile Defense Agency, General Dynamics, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Sabre Industries, Exxon, the Department of Defense, NASA, AT&T, Shell, T-Mobile, the U.S. Navy, the Internal Revenue Service, Verizon Wireless, Chevron, the Canadian Pacific Railway, Telefonica, Airtel, Alcatel, Ericsson, Daimler, Kwajalein Range Services, FEMA, Cellxion, Pacific Gas and Electric, Lockheed Martin, and Purdue University.
For more information about Landa Mobile Systems, visit the company’s website at landamobilesystems.com.

About Landa Mobile Systems

Landa Mobile Systems product lines are recognized for their superior quality and durability. Industries leading innovator in design and advancement in the industry building mobile towers with the highest wind-loading in the industry.

With the ability to deliver on time, every time. Designed and tested patented products for long term serviceability. CERTIFIED Green All tower construction, Deck and out riggers are manufactured 100% from USA recycled steel.

Landa holds its patented products and services to the highest standards of consumer excellence. In exchange, we must hold our suppliers to those same standards. Substantiating and quantifying why we form close partnerships with each of our suppliers. Together we produce superior products in an environmentally responsible, ethical and compliant manner. While conforming with all applicable laws, regulations and contractual obligations.

You may be entered in a competitive bid for one or more of our business units as a part of good business practice. We’ll consider your ability, capacity, integrity, financial status, geographical locations, performance, reliability, quality of product, delivery and overall customer-supplier relations. If you can deliver the right quantity and the right quality, at the right time and price, from the right sources, then we look forward to doing the highest standard of business with you.

CERTIFIED Green All tower construction steel utilizes 100% USA recycled steel. Gin Pole construction also is 100% USA recycled steel.
For more information about Landa Mobile Systems, visit the company’s website at www.landamobilesystems.com.