Cobham yesterday said its Brazilian subsidiary–Cobham do Brasil trading as Cobham Tactical Communications and Surveillance–has secured its first major contract in Brazil to equip State Police helicopters with High Definition (HD) video surveillance downlinks which will be used on helicopters in 12 cities during the 2013 Confederations Cup and the 2014 World Cup.

The contract was developed with a local integration partner following the opening of the Cobham’s Sao Paulo office in August last year and includes both airborne and ground based equipment.

This procurement was made through the newly formed Extraordinary Secretariat for Security at Large Scale Events (SESGE), following a UKTI sponsored handover post the London Olympic Games 2012, when Cobham was able to present its security and surveillance capabilities to SESGE.

Cobham’s HD solution is cost-effective and provides a highly robust and mission critical platform that is independent of public or commercially available networks such as expensive satellite communications, the company said in a statement. The solution transmits HD quality video that is sharper and clearer than ordinary standard definition, over long distances ensuring critical live operational information is available to keep cities safe. Cobham’s HD solution provides the ability to see more details or have a wider coverage of all events – a key consideration in video surveillance applications.

Cobham Tactical Communications and Surveillance provides specialist communications, security and surveillance products with integrated systems and solutions to 18 armed forces, over 750 agencies in the United States and more than 140 agencies globally. Markets served include counter-terrorism and intelligence, law enforcement and public safety, critical asset protection and military platform communications.