Peraton Nabs $278M Recompete of CBP Aerostat Radar Program
Peraton says it has received a potential $277.5 million contract from Customs and Border Protection to continue providing operations and integrated logistics support for the Tethered Aerostat Radar System (TARS), which provides security along portions of the U.S. border with Mexico, the Florida Straits and a portion of the Caribbean to counter drug trafficking, human trafficking and smuggling. Peraton has been supporting TARS for more than 10 years and no other bidders emerged for the recompete. Under the contract, the company will continue to operate and maintain the airborne radar platforms and related infrastructure to provide persistent, long-range detection and monitoring for interdicting low-level air, maritime and surface targets. “Over more than 10 years working on TARS, we have honed our ability to maximize aerostat availability through effective logistics management, while implementing staffing efficiencies, integrating emerging technologies, and satisfying evolving mission demands,” says John Coleman, president of Peraton’s Defense and Homeland Security sector. TARS is also used to support U.S. Northern and Southern Command in air surveillance missions and the surveillance data also supports the North American Aerospace Defense Command air sovereignty mission for the continental U.S. Aerostats are deployed in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, the Florida Keys and Puerto Rico.
Block MEMS Awarded $6M for Phase III IARPA Effort to Detect Explosives
Block MEMS, LLC says it has received a $5.5 million award from the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Agency for the third phase of a program to develop standoff detection of trace and bulk quantities of explosives, chemical warfare agents and toxic chemicals, and drugs such as fentanyl. Block was the only contractor selected for Phase III of the Standoff Illuminator for Measuring Absorbance and Reflectance Infrared Light Signatures (SILMARILS) program, bringing its tally to $15.1 million so far on the program. So far, Block has “successfully demonstrated the ability of hyperspectral imaging using its eye-safe proprietary quantum cascade lasers to detect and map out the location of trace quantities to detect and map out the location of trace quantities of chemical on a wide variety of surfaces at standoff distances of up to 25 meters” in a matter of seconds, the company says. In Phase III, Block’s goal is to develop standoff detection capabilities with automated real-time processing suitable at distances up to 30meters for screening vehicles, outdoor surfaces, clothing and other items, on moving targets such as packages on a conveyor or in the front of military vehicles, and at close range—less than 5 meters—for a compact system such as a handheld device. Block says its work under SILMARILS is addressing requirements of the intelligence community and Departments of Defense and Homeland Security.
Operational Solutions Anti-Drone System Deployed at Heathrow
Operational Solutions Ltd. (OSL) said in mid-January that was selected as the systems architect and integrator for a counter-unmanned aircraft systems (CUAS) solution it has deployed to help keep London’s Heathrow Airport free of drones. The United Kingdom-based company says the system detects and tracks drones in local airspace and can also locate drone pilots and identify their locations and alerts airports to unauthorized drone use. “OSL is delighted that it has been selected as the solution architect and system integrator for the bespoke set of counter-drone systems that have been deployed at Heathrow,” says Mark Legh Smith, founder and CEO of OSL. Aveillant Ltd., a company of France’s Thales, says it its counter-drone systems were deployed as part of the airport’s bespoke end-to-end anti-drone solution provided by OSL. The United Kingdom last March approved legislation that prohibits unauthorized drones from being flown within 5 kilometers of any airport boundary. “The safety and security of our passengers and colleagues is our number one priority,” says Jonathan Coen, director of Security for Heathrow. “That is way we’re investing in this new cutting-edge technology which will enhance our capabilities in the detection and deterrence of drones in and around our airfield.”