Drone Aviation Delivers Initial Aerostats in Support of Border Patrol
Drone Aviation [DRNE] says it has delivered the initial set of WASP tethered aerostat platforms in support of the U.S. Border Patrol, enabling the start of agent training and operations support services on the U.S. southwestern border. The company’s Winch Aerostat Small Platform (WASP) was selected earlier this year by a prime contractor for the border security program. The WASP is a tactical and mobile aerostat system that provides communications, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance day and night. The system can be deployed and managed by two operators. The system is based on the same technology used by the U.S. Army as a persistent aerial platform.
Carolina Unmanned Vehicles Demonstrates Tactical Aerostat System at Navy Exercise
Carolina Unmanned Vehicles (CUV) says it successfully demonstrated its Small Tactical Multi-Payload Aerostat System (STMPAS) last month as part of the Navy’s Advanced Naval Technology Exercise at Marine Corps Base, Camp Lejeune, N.C. CUV says STMPAS is a mobile, cost-effective solution for around-the-clock electro-optic and infrared surveillance, networked communications relays, and signal intelligence collection that can easily accommodate different payloads. The company also says that unlike traditional aerostats, unless they are large, its system can operate in high winds, making it suitable for use at small isolated bases or in expeditionary operations. The aerostat can fly at altitudes between 500 and 3,000 feet for a week or more without maintenance or downtime, CUV says. The company also says that STMPAS is ideal for mobile border security and post-disaster communications support. The Army Rapid Equipping Force deployed previous versions of the system for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capability for small tactical units in Afghanistan.
U.S., Israel Testing Container Security Device
The Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate and the Israel Ministry of Public Security are working with industry on a pilot program to evaluate security devices on shipping containers. The Low Cost Disposable Electronic Seals Pilot began in April and ends in November and is aimed at helping to develop technologies to ensure cargo shipments aren’t tampered with during transit. The two agencies selected Hi-G-Tek, which is based in the U.S. and Israel, to develop the electronic seals, which use radio frequency identification technology to communicate, and store customer-specific information like container and manifest number. The seal also acts as a lock and can replace the International Organization for Standards mechanical bolt seal. The seal includes sensors to prevent attempts at detaching, bypassing or tampering and will record any attempts to do so. For the evaluation, three Israeli companies, Caesar Stone, Tama Plastics and Hadera Paper, are providing products to be shipped in containers using the electronic seals. Once a container arrives in Savannah, Ga., the port authority will use an application on a standard smart phone to scan the seal, which will determine whether the container needs additional inspection or can continue. S&T, MOPS, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Hi-G-Tek and Sandia National Labs will evaluate the data collected on the seals as the arrive in Savannah. The evaluation will help CBP understand how best to use the data and if successful, the data interfaces and analysis can be integrated into the agency’s systems and used by the National Targeting Center to better identify high-risk cargo and facilitate the processing of low-risk cargo.
XTec’s AuthentX Cloud Software Receives FedRAMP Authorization
XTec Inc. says its AuthentX cloud software as a service platform for identity credential and access management has received Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) High Impact level agency authorization. The authorization means the company’s cloud services meet the requirements of the FedRAMP High baseline for security. “As an original HSPD-12 provider, XTec understands the importance of identity security in the federal government and by offering a cloud model capable of multiple form factors we know that federal agencies will benefit from the ease of implementation and a variety of services,” says Albert Fernandez, president and CEO of XTec. The AuthentX cloud services include end-to-end identity credential enrollment, issuance, and lifecycle maintenance, physical access control and derived credentialing.
Smiths Detection AT X-Ray System Used in Preparedness Exercise in Singapore
Smiths Detection says that in early August it deployed an integrated Advanced Technology (AT) X-Ray system as part of an emergency preparedness exercise by the Land Transport Authority and its rail operators at HarbourFront Station in Singapore. The deployment consisted of the HI-SCAN 6040-2is AT X-Ray system that can automatically detect solid and liquid explosives, pro, the company’s modular checkpoint tray conveyor to facilitate commuters’ bag handling, and iCMORE Weapons, object recognition software that uses artificial intelligence to automatically detect knives, guns, and gun parts. Smiths says its automated solution is designed to clear the majority of bags that contain no obvious threats without human intervention, allowing X-Ray image analysts to focus on bags that require attention. The exercise was aimed at strengthening security in public places in support of the nationwide SGSecure movement.