Who you gonna call when you’re in trouble on the sea? The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG)! Secure communication and coordination between the USCG’s assets are needed to perform the service’s multifaceted missions, including keeping recreational boaters safe. In support, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, under which the USCG operates, has awarded a $9.9 million contract to FLIR Systems, Inc., to provide second generation Automatic Identification System (AIS) transponders, associated peripherals, and spare parts for nearly 1,774 boats and 282 cutters in the USCG’s active fleet over the next five years. This award extends FLIR’s partnership with the service to complement the USCG’s Raymarine SINS-2 navigation systems.
“FLIR is honored to have been selected to provide critical equipment that helps our Nation’s first responders save lives and livelihoods,” says Joseph B. Abeyta, LCDR, USCG (ret), director of the business development-first responders program for Wilsonville, Oregon-founded FLIR Systems, a world-leading maker of sensor systems. “The maritime domain is very complex and requires the highest levels of coordination by the U.S. Coast Guard and partner agencies to be ready, relevant and responsive to the safety and security of our ports and waterways. Our second generation AIS technology greatly increases the security of the US Coast Guard’s fleet providing a natural progression in the next phase of ensuring interagency interoperability while defending the homeland across our country’s entire maritime transportation system.” www.flir.com