ROCHESTER, N.Y., 14 Dec. 2005. Harris Corp. announced today that it has been awarded a contract to supply the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) with activity sensors as part of the Persistent Surveillance Unattended Ground Sensor (UGS) Program.
Harris will provide USCENTCOM's component commands and the Joint Special Operations Command with Silent Watch Remote Intrusion Detection systems. The contract was awarded to Harris by Networld Exchange of Carlsbad, Calif. via its Open Market Corridor (OMC), a web-based contract vehicle sponsored by the Department of Interior/National Business Center.
The UGS systems will be used to monitor borders and perimeters in USCENTCOM's Areas of Responsibility (AOR), which stretch from the Horn of Africa to Central Asia.
The Harris systems take advantage of the company's expertise in designing robust algorithms for products to be used in a data network for tactical environments.
The Silent Watch system was developed specifically for the USCENTCOM UGS program and is an outgrowth of the recently announced Harris Falcon Watch sensor product line. The Silent Watch system utilizes the Falcon Watch RF-5405 Intelligent Gateway, a communications node which receives alarms from multiple sensors and fuses the data into actionable reports for satellite-based relay to command centers.
"Most activity sensors in use today were developed to be operational for only 30 days after placement, but new minimum requirements, such as for USCENTCOM UGS, call for an operational lifespan of 90 to 180 days," said George Helm, vice president of growth programs for Harris' RF Communications Division. "The Harris Silent Watch sensor systems will meet or exceed the lifetime requirements while providing more functionality to better identify and reject false target reports."
"We are extremely pleased that our first contract for sensor systems is with USCENTCOM and we look forward to working with them to rapidly field these new sensor systems in support of the joint forces command."
The Harris RF Communications Division Sensor Systems Group designs, integrates, and implements remote intrusion detection solutions for a variety of mission-critical applications requiring long operational life and low false-alarm rates.
Harris is an international communications and information technology company serving government and commercial markets in more than 150 countries. With headquarters in Melbourne, Fla., the company has annual sales of over $3 billion and has more than 13,000 employees -- including 5,500 engineers and scientists -- dedicated to the development of best-in-class assured communications products, systems, and services. The company's operating divisions serve markets for government communications, RF communications, broadcast communications, and microwave communications. For more information, see www.harris.com.
