Date posted: 05/27/2009*

It’s known throughout the world as the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” Every Memorial Day weekend, nearly half a million people descend on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) for the Indianapolis 500, making it a potential target for groups looking to inflict a large numbers of casualties while the whole world is watching.

Combine that potential threat with the usual issues surrounding a three-day event of this scale, i.e. crowd control, traffic and parking, the Indy 500 weekend provided a perfect opportunity to demonstrate Raytheon’s persistent threat detection and situational awareness capabilities.

Sensor package provided real-time information

The system deployed during the event weekend consisted of a 17meter (approximately 56 foot) aerostat equipped with a sensor package that relayed real-time information to the command center within IMS. The system’s primary payload is an electro optical-infrared sensor and can be complemented with other stand-alone capabilities, such as radio frequency data and video transmission, acoustic detection, flash detection and elevated communications relay. This system is similar to Raytheon’s combat-proven systems currently deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan providing security to our warfighters.

“We continue to explore opportunities to apply Raytheon’s proven technology and capabilities to provide affordable solutions for our customers, including the event and spectator security arena,” said Lee Silvestre, vice president of Mission Innovation for Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems. “Working with the speedway during the demo, we identified areas where our solutions can enhance current event security processes and systems to provide a safer, more secure atmosphere for spectators and participants.”

System demo helped officials identify and respond as necessary

Members of the Indy Racing League (IRL) and IMS security teams and Indiana state and local authorities had the opportunity throughout the weekend to demo the system and capture real-time surveillance of the speedway and the surrounding area. This capability allowed them to identify and respond quickly to safety and security incidents.

This demonstration also served a dual role as Raytheon is working with the University of Southern Mississippi’s National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security (NCS4) to establish a national lab focused on event security and critical infrastructure safety. “The fact that Raytheon could demonstrate this aerial surveillance technology during an event like the Indianapolis 500 will help NCS4 establish methodologies and protocols to assess future sports security manufacturers for the national lab,” said Louis Marciani, director of National Center Spectator Sports Safety and Security.

Providing aerial security support during the Indianapolis 500 is just one of many recent events where Raytheon has deployed systems to augment local and state security teams, including the 2009 Boston Marathon.

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