Program Overview

Lincoln Laboratory is developing technology and systems for addressing homeland security and defense problems:

  • Preventing terrorist attacks within the U.S.
  • Reducing the vulnerability of the U.S. to terrorism
  • Minimizing the damage and assisting in recovery from terrorist attacks

The Laboratory’s efforts in airspace surveillance include the development of the Enhanced Regional Situation Awareness (ERSA) system of radar and electro-optical sensors, track fusion logic, and evidence accrual tools. ERSA is deployed to the National Capital Region to provide enhanced air defense surveillance capabilities.

The Laboratory is working on cyber-security technology for critical infrastructure protection as well as collision-avoidance technology that will enable the use of unmanned aerial vehicles for homeland protection.

The Laboratory’s homeland protection initiatives also include development of air-vehicle identification algorithms to support homeland air defense applications. This effort leverages a data-collection sensor built to support algorithm development and used to collect a rich set of commercial air-vehicle signatures. Algorithms specifically tailored to the domestic airspace environment were implemented, tested, and characterized with this data. The result is substantial intellectual property usable in future domestic air defense applications.

To support unmanned aerial vehicle integration into civil airspace, the Laboratory developed an architecture for collision-avoidance system modeling and secured data feeds from 200 radar sensors across the U.S. to build statistics on the collision threat environment.

Biological Agent Warning SensorBiological Agent Warning Sensor (BAWS)

Lincoln Laboratory has emphasized the development of biological sensors that signal the presence of an aerosol threat in sufficient time to recognize it and take protective measures. The Biological Agent Warning Sensor (BAWS) has been transitioned to industry, and a prototype upgrade to BAWS has significantly improved its false-alarm characteristics.

The Laboratory has undertaken architecture studies for the defense of civilians and facilities against potential biological attacks; demonstrated initial operation of a test bed designed to test potential chemical and biological sensors and protection methods; and completed homeland security system architectures for biological defense against a variety of bioagents in both indoor and outdoor domestic settings.

 

 

 

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