CBP’s TARS Fully Operational on Southern Border
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) says its radar-equipped aerostats used for aerial surveillance are fully operational along different stretches of the southern border. The eight Tethered Aerostat Radar Systems (TARS), which were repurposed from the Defense Department, provide CBP’s Office of Air and Marine Operations (OAM) Center to monitor the border for low flying aircraft and small vessels. “CBP’s restoration of this program to full operation for the first time in three years reinforces our commitment to provide continuous, persistent surveillance to those border areas most in need, both through air and maritime detection,” says Gen. Randolph Alles, assistant commissioner of OAM. The helium-filled aerostats are deployed to heights as high as 10,000 to 12,000 feet and operate from sites at Yuma and Fort Huachuca, Ariz., Deming, N. M., Marfa, Eagle Pass and Rio Grande City, Texas, Cudjoe Key, Fla., and Lajas, Puerto Rico. Exelis [XLS] operates and maintains TARS for CBP while
Lockheed Martin [LMT] supports the radar system.
Implant’s Bench Top ETD Passes ECAC Common Evaluation Process
Implant Sciences [IMSC] says its QS-B220 benchtop explosives trace detector (ETD) has successfully passed the European Civil Aviation Conference’s (ECAC) Common Evaluation Process for security equipment for airport checkpoint screening of passengers and their carry-on bags. The company says the QS-B220 is the first ETD to pass ECAC’s laboratory testing protocol. “The 44 EU member nations covered by the ECAC approval represent an enormous opportunity for Implant Sciences,” says Darryl Jones, the company’s vice president of Global Sales & Marketing. “Procurements across the region have been delayed while this standard was established and implemented. As the first company to pass the new standard, we believe we are in an excellent position to capitalize on this pent-up demand.”
Airbus Delivers Final HC-144A Patrol Aircraft to Coast Guard
Airbus Group’s Defense and Space division has delivered the 18th and final HC-144A Ocean Sentry maritime patrol aircraft to the Coast Guard, the company says. The final HC-144A will operate from a Coast Guard Air Station in Mobile, Ala. The aircraft are based on the Airbus CN235 tactical airlifter and are equipped for a range of medium-range patrol missions including drug and migrant interdiction, disaster response, search and rescue and more. Original plans had called for the Coast Guard to acquire 36 HC-144As but tightening budgets led the service to favor a plan to accept 14 C-27 medium-range airlifters from the Air Force’s inventory, saving it hundreds of millions of dollars. The first C-27 is expected to arrive at the Coast Guard’s Air Logistics Center within a month. All but one of the C-27s will be “regenerated” by the Air Force at Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson, Ariz., where excess military aircraft are stored to take advantage of the dry climate. The aircraft, built by a division of Italy’s Finmeccanica, will be missionized for Coast Guard maritime patrol aircraft operations.
GD Fidelis Using Carbon Black in Cyber Incident Response Solution
General Dynamics [GD] says it Fidelis Cybersecurity Solutions business unit is using Bit9 + Carbon Black’s Carbon Black endpoint threat detection and response solution as a key component of its incident response solution to help customers quickly detect and remediate data breaches. Fidelis is an original partner in the Bit9 + Carbon Black Connect Alliance Program that began in February and now the unit has expanded the partnership to supplement the network visibility, analysis and control provided by Fidelis XPS, its flagship network security solution. This allows the Fidelis Network Defense and Forensic team to pinpoint each endpoint and server on which malware has landed and reveal the entire kill chain of the attack so they can quickly identify where and how the attack originated.
Elbit Testing WideBridge for DHS Mission Critical Secure Broadband Services
Israel’s Elbit Systems [ESLT] says its U.S. subsidiary Elbit Systems of America has received a contract from the Science and Technology branch of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to conduct a technology demonstration of the company’s WideBridge system for mission critical secure broadband services for first responders and public safety users. WideBridge integrates mission critical capabilities with FIPS certified BlackBerry BES10 secure workspace and Etherstack’s P.25 networks interoperability proven capabilities. Elbit says the solutions was developed at its Land and C4I division with the objective of delivering the most advanced interoperable broadband communication services using FirstNet and commercial LTE networks suitable for federal, state and local public safety agencies nationwide. WideBridge enables any-to-any secure, interoperable multimedia services with seamless connectivity between various commercial broadband cellular networks and the existing P.25 land mobile radio infrastructure.
ORBCOMM Launches Chassis Tracking Solution for Tucking Industry
Satellite and cellular services provider ORBCOMM [ORBC] has launched a new tracking service that monitors chassis of trucks. The GT 1100 Chassis Tracking Solution is designed and engineered to facilitate chassis management for owners and operators with any fleet size. The device provides chassis location and timely load status information, including the ability to determine if the associated container is mounted or unmounted on the chassis as it moves throughout the supply chain. “With the launch of our powerful GT 1100-CTS, ORBCOMM has further enhanced its solutions portfolio for the transportation industry so we can track and monitor nearly every type of transport asset, from cry to refrigerated trailers, rail, intermodal containers, gensets and now chassis,” says Marc Eisenberg, the company’s CEO.