Ports pursuing high-tech security.

Northrop Grumman unveiled a port security system in December that provides a glimpse of the requirements the Navy is eyeing to harden harbors and waterways--above and below the surface.

Northrop's product, called Centurion, features an array of underwater fiber optic cables, passive sonar sensors, a marine radar and shipboard identification systems, company officials said. A digital charting system integrated the information into a single picture, which increases the awareness of what was coming into the harbor.

No electronic components were used in the water, and acoustic fiber-optic sensors were developed solely for the project, said Alexis Livanos, vice president of Northrop's navigation and space sensors division. "The arrays employ glass fibers instead of older piezoelectric hydrophones," he added. "The sensor arrays have low power requirements and provide wide frequency coverage."

The Navy's maritime surveillance systems program office awarded a contract to develop the system in October. During December's demonstration, conducted at the Naval Base Ventura County, in California, divers with battery-powered underwater scooters and surface craft were located trying to infiltrate the test area.

In another maritime security development, the Port of San Juan, Puerto Rico, will be receiving an advanced digital surveillance system.

The system, designed and built by Honeywell International, will cover the entire 11-mile perimeter of the port. It will give security personnel a complete view of activity in the San Juan Bay. To build the system, Honeywell will install 45,000 feet of fiber optic cable, company officials said. The effort will cost $4.9 million.

The surveillance system will have 40 terabytes of memory for high-resolution recording. The system will automatically log all activity, providing a complete record of surveillance operations. Using search capabilities, operators also can find previously recorded videos.