FORT WORTH, TEXAS, September 10, 2015 – Elbit Systems of America, LLC announced today that its Integrated Fixed Towers (IFT) border surveillance system, deployed outside of Nogales, Arizona, has successfully met milestones for system acceptance testing and conditional acceptance pursuant to its contract with the Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Protection agency (CBP). These significant milestones on the path to final acceptance follow several months of construction, integration and test activity, and verify that the system meets its performance requirements, including the ability to detect, track, identify, and classify movement on the border. The system is now available to the Border Patrol for operational use in conducting their daily mission.
“The IFT program is a critical element within our broader technology and surveillance strategy for the Arizona border,” said Mark Borkowski, Assistant Commissioner and Chief Acquisition Executive for CBP’s Office of Technology Innovation and Acquisition. “When fully deployed, we expect the system will significantly increase the awareness, safety, and operational effectiveness of our Border Patrol resources. We are very pleased to have reached these major milestones, which gives the Border Patrol the opportunity to become familiar with and to gain confidence in the system, while simultaneously providing direct support to agents in the field. We are also particularly appreciative of Elbit System of America’s unwavering commitment to deliver this high quality and cost-effective IFT system in support of our border security mission.”
IFT provides Border Patrol Agents long-range, 360-degree, all-weather, and persistent surveillance capability. The system provides Agents a high degree of situation awareness along the border by assisting them in identifying and classifying “items of interest” and coordinating an appropriate response, while also contributing to Agent safety.
“We are pleased with the results of the system acceptance testing and by working closely with CBP, we are able to announce that we have achieved significant milestones for the first deployment of IFT,” commented Raanan Horowitz, President and CEO of Elbit Systems of America. “We are confident that the system will meet the Agents’ expectations and operational needs.”
As the prime contractor and system integrator, Elbit Systems of America furnishes the IFT system human machine interface and command & control software, which is hosted on workstations at the Nogales Border Patrol station. Elbit Systems of America also manages tower construction, integrates the sensors with power and communication systems, provides training to Border Patrol Agents and furnishes logistics support. Elbit Systems of America selected a team of subcontractors to supply specialized elements of the IFT system, including International Towers, Inc. for tower construction, Elta North America for the ground surveillance radar, FLIR Systems for the day/night cameras, and Cambium Networks for the microwave communication system.