General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT) has announced that it was awarded a $71 million task order, with a potential total value of $115 million, by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for next-generation autonomous surveillance towers.
GDIT’s Relocatable Autonomous Surveillance Towers (RAST) will be deployed across multiple sites along the southwest border to meet current operational demands. The task order, awarded under the $1.8 billion Consolidated Tower & Surveillance Equipment (CTSE) indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract, has a one-year base period.
Built with commercial technology, these towers employ edge AI/machine learning, patented video analytics and advanced 5G and satellite communication capabilities to detect, identify, classify and track items of interest in real time. Unlike traditional surveillance systems that require constant operator oversight, the towers autonomously monitor their environment over a long range, prioritize alerts and deliver actionable real-time intelligence. This reduces operator workloads, accelerates decision-making, enhances situational awareness and safety, and allows border personnel to focus on critical field operations.
Engineered for rapid deployment and scalability, these towers can also be configured for a range of operational environments, including maritime and cold-weather regions along the northern U.S. border. The towers are designed to be future-proof and enabled for Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems and other integrations as border threats evolve.
“This administration has made it a priority to secure the border and bring emerging technology to their missions,” said Michael Wagner, GDIT’s vice president of Biometrics, Border & Transportation Security. “We have invested over the last three years to develop these autonomous surveillance towers, and we look forward to partnering with CBP to rapidly scale and deploy these towers so border agents can carry out their missions more effectively.”
