Leidos Withdraws Protest of TSA Award to Peraton

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has lifted a stop work order it had placed on Peraton last October pending the outcome of a protest by Leidos [LDOS] of a potential $578 million contract the agency awarded Peraton for support of transportation security equipment at airports nationwide. Leidos, which was the incumbent on the contract, withdrew its protest on Jan. 23, two days before the Government Accountability Office was slated to render a decision. Leidos declined comment on why it withdrew the protest. Lifting the stop work order frees Peraton to begin providing integrated logistics support for transportation security equipment under the five-year contract, which is the company’s largest in terms of value. Worth potentially more than $100 million annually, the contract could add about 10 percent to Peraton’s approximately $1.1 billion in yearly sales. Winning the TSA contract last fall was a successful demonstration of Peraton CEO Stu Shea’s strategy to pursue some large contracts to help the company grow in scale and obtain new customers. Peraton was the name given to the former information technology services business divested by Harris Corp. [HRS] in 2017. Peraton is a portfolio company of the private equity firm Veritas Capital.

CBP Certifies In-Fill Radar and Tower System

Elbit Systems of America, part of Israel’s Elbit Systems [ESLT], says that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has certified for operational use the company’s in-fill radar system and tower that is deployed in South Texas under a $1.9 million contract the agency awarded last year. The in-fill radar and tower system mitigates radar interference from wind turbines, a CBP spokesman tells HSR, adding that the funding for the contract was provided by a wind farm developer. The new system supports CBP’s Office of Air and Marine Operations Domain Awareness Directorate. Elbit Systems of America says its partnered with C Speed, LLC to incorporate its LightWave Radar technology, which is used for detecting small and low-flying airborne threats in a high clutter environment. The radar has also been deployed worldwide to mitigate the effects of wind turbine clutter in similar environments, Elbit says. Elbit Systems of America is the prime contractor to CBP for the Integrated Fixed Tower system, which is being deployed in certain areas of the southern border to monitor, detect and track illegal activity between ports of entry.

DFW Named a TSA Innovation Site Airport

Dallas Fort Worth International Airport says it has been designated an Innovation Task Force (ITF) site by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), making it eligible for pilot programs to test and refine technologies and processes. So far, TSA has been using its ITF program to evaluate certain technologies such as Automated Screening Lanes, computed tomography-based scanners, and biometrics, at checkpoints of certain airports. DFW recently completed installation of 10 ASLs at four of its checkpoints. Steve Karoly, assistant administrator for the TSA Office of Requirements and Capabilities Analysis, says that “With this partnership, we can find new ways to work together to improve all aspects of aviation security.” The airport says in 2018 the ITF will deploy, and experiment with, new technologies.

Vision-Box Integrated Biometric System in Use by Tanzanian Immigration

Vision-Box says that the Tanzania Immigration Services Department is using the company’s automated immigration control solutions at two of the busiest airports in the country, Kilimanjaro International and Julius Nyerere International. The desktop systems incorporate facial matching technology and document authentication to match information contained in the travel document against the live face image capture of the traveler to identify the traveler. Tanzania Commissioner Samuel Magweiga said in a statement of the new traveler identification system that “we need more of its kinds for all our land, air and maritime entry points to combat irregular migration which is becoming rampant along our borders.”

Tanzania Selects HID Global for Electronic Passports

HID Global says Tanzania has selected the company as its prime supplier for an end-to-end solution for issuing electronic passports as part of the countries e-Immigration program. The solution includes physical and electronic security features, including a contactless chip, automated passport verification capabilities, and support for international standards. The e-Immigration solution includes an ePassport issuance system and personalization facilities in Dar-Es-Salam and Zanzibar, as well as biometric matching, border control, e-Visas, e-Permits and delivery of ePassport books. If a person’s passport is stolen, the new program allows a holder to have an emergency passport on their smart phone, which is verifiable electronically by the embassy. “Our people will be proud knowing they are carrying one of the most secure and modern passports in the world and can take advantage of some of the most advanced technology available,” says Dr. Anna Peter Makakala, Commissioner General Immigration for Tanzania. HID Global is part of ASSA ABLOY Group.

Fidelis, PacStar Launch Cyber Security Platform for DoD Network Defense

Information technology companies Fidelis Cybersecurity and PacStar have launched a joint tactical cyber solution platform aimed at improving Defense Department network threat response capabilities. The companies will demonstrate the new PacStar Tactical Fidelis Cybersecurity System this week at the AFCEA West conference in San Diego. The platform, which provides automated detection and response to cyber threats, is designed to rapidly secure tactical networks and address challenges with a lack of deployable trained cyber specialists. The new solution combines Elevate, Fidelis’ cyber defense operations platform, and PacStar’s IQ-Core software management system. Fidelis cyber security software is already popular and widely deployed in the DoD at the enterprise level,” Peggy Miller, PacStar CEO, tells HSR sister publication Defense Daily. “In putting together this partnership, we have shown the system to a few potential DoD customers and so far the interest has been high.” Elevate include pre-positioned cyber sensors to automate network threat responses, while the PacStar’s IQ-core will incorporate a graphical user interface for improved configuration and troubleshooting efforts.”

Energy Department Agency Conducted Radiation Scans over Super Bowl Site

The U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), an arm of the Energy Department, conducted radiation scans of the Super Bowl site in Minneapolis using sensors aboard a helicopter during low-flying flights above the city three days last week. Using sensors aboard the aircraft, the NNSA measured the city’s natural background radiation levels, which served as a baseline to compare against measurements obtained on game day as part of scanning for unauthorized nuclear materials, reports our sister publication Exchange Monitor. One of the NNSA’s missions is to prevent a nuclear terror attack on the U.S. Some fear terrorists might attack soft targets such as a sporting event with, among other things, a so-called dirty bomb, which is a package of radioactive material dispersed by conventional explosives.