The Harris Falcon Watch Remote Intrusion Detection and Surveillance system was developed by the Harris Sensor Systems Group, which is part of a new growth initiative within the Harris RF Communications Division, chartered to design products that are synergistic with the division's highly successful tactical radio business and adjacent markets.

"The Sensor Group's mission is to design, integrate and implement remote intrusion detection solutions for a variety of critical applications requiring long operational life," said George Helm, vice president, Growth Programs, Harris RF Communications Division.

The Falcon Watch system includes the RF-5405 Intelligent Gateway, a communications node that receives alarms from multiple sensors and fuses the data into actionable reports for relay to command centers; and the RF-5400 Falcon II Sensor Node, which is integrated with Harris Falcon II tactical radios to provide situational awareness for the mobile user.

"With an increasing number of frontline operations worldwide, military forces are challenged to keep vigilant watch all around them," said Helm.

"The Harris Falcon Watch system is a true force multiplier that enables commanders to apply the very latest technology to the critical task of gathering data remotely with reduced risk to personnel. The system also can serve equally well as an effective monitoring tool for protecting strategic assets and border security."

The Harris Falcon Watch system utilizes seismic detectors, which detect ground vibration caused by vehicles or pedestrians; magnetic detectors, which detect the movement of metal objects such as weapons or vehicles, and passive infrared (PIR) sensors, which detect the movement of thermal signatures such as vehicles or pedestrians. Input is processed at the point of detection and then the resulting alarms are transmitted by radio to a monitoring point.

Multiple radio relay nodes can be used to extend the system to protect larger- scale perimeters. The Harris Falcon Watch system is modular and configurable to address a broad range of threat or topographical environments. The system is specifically designed to withstand the rigors of harsh environments while operating in remote locations for very extended periods without battery replacement.

The Harris Falcon Watch system detects the movement of vehicles and people while filtering out non-threatening, naturally occurring events. It transmits alarms to the Harris Falcon II RF-5800V-HH Advanced VHF Tactical Handheld Radio or the Falcon II RF-5800M-HH Advanced Multiband Tactical Handheld Radio.

This allows the user to receive real-time sensor alerts directly without carrying additional monitoring hardware. The sensor alarms can also be displayed by the Harris RF-6910 Situational Awareness System to provide a complete operational picture at a command center.

The Falcon Watch Sensor system is available in various configurations. The Force Protection configuration is ideal for tactical, on-the-move missions by smaller squads, and for temporary set-ups and deployments. It is small, lightweight, easy to use, and features extended operational life as a result of its advanced low-power techniques. Tactical radio integration results in less equipment that the soldier is required to carry and provides immediate notification of area intrusions.

The Perimeter Surveillance configuration of the Falcon Watch Sensor system is designed for applications requiring more complex detection and surveillance such as fixed military installations, weapons depots, and power-generation facilities.

These extended deployment applications require more sophisticated security as provided by Harris' Falcon II Tactical Radios, utilizing Harris Citadel military-grade encryption and anti-jam technology.

Falcon Watch also features capabilities for digital imaging and the option to display data and images on the Harris RF-6910 Falcon II Situational Awareness system.

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