US Coast Guard receives National AIS from Northrop

Northrop Grumman has successfully delivered Nationwide Automatic Identification System (AIS) to the US Coast Guard.

The delivery follows $12m contract to Northrop, awarded in December 2008, for the supply of Nationwide AIS to the US Coast Guard.

The Nationwide AIS has undergone test and evaluation process to meet reliability, maintainability and availability requirements at physical and logical shore installations while the US Coast Guard is due to conduct formal government testing of the system prior to deployment.

Nationwide AIS is expected to enhance the US Coast Guard’ maritime domain awareness by providing improved security, navigational safety, search and rescue, and environmental protection services.

Northrop Grumman Information Systems integrated command, control, communications and intelligence systems vice president Pat Camacho said the Coast Guard’s goals for enhancing maritime domain awareness include the ability to detect and classify potential threats as early and distant from U.S. interests as possible.

To ensure the effective exchange of AIS information, Northrop has designed and developed the necessary shore-side communications, network and processing capability.

"By monitoring the virtual network created by AIS-equipped vessels, Nationwide AIS will help decision-makers to better respond to safety and security risks," Camacho added.

Nationwide AIS will field a network infrastructure that collects, stores, processes and disseminates AIS data.

The two-way maritime digital communication system, Nationwide AIS will integrate the incoming vessels data such as vessel identity, position, speed, course, destination, and manifest and cargo data with other government intelligence and surveillance data.

The information will then be shared with authorised government operators to enhance maritime situational awareness while strengthening national security.