Army taps Leidos for interoperable military installation access control technology in $249 million deal
ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. – U.S. Army base security experts needed upgraded access control technologies for as many as 92 new government installations worldwide. They found their solution from Leidos Inc. in Reston, Va.
Officials of the U.S. Army Contracting Command at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., announced a $249 million contract to Leidos on Friday for the Automated Installation Entry (AIE) Next system.
AIE Next is the Army’s enterprise military installation electronic physical access control system (ePACS) for authenticating personnel against several different authoritative state and federal databases.
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The system is an interoperable and integrated solution that helps automate and standardize installation access control for enhanced efficiency across the Army security enterprise.
AIE Next is an unclassified information system that optimizes guard force use, increases pedestrian and vehicle throughput with enhanced security, and adapts to increased authentication requirements at high threat levels.
The AIE Next contract will procure, field, and sustain AIE systems at about 92 potential new U.S. government installations and facilities inside and outside of the continental U.S. For the AIE-Next contract Leidos will handle sustainment and technology refresh for AIE-3 systems previously deployed to 98 Army U.S. Installations.
AIE-Next will insert required emerging commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware and software capabilities while maintaining existing external interfaces. The system will be interoperable with other U.S. military-approved physical security access control systems and authoritative databases.
Leidos prevailed in the AIE-Next competition over two other bidders. The company will do the work at locations to be determined with each order, and should be finished by February 2030.
For more information contact Leidos online at www.leidos.com, or the Army Contracting Command-Aberdeen Proving Ground at https://acc.army.mil/contractingcenters/acc-apg/.
John Keller | Editor
John Keller is editor-in-chief of Military & Aerospace Electronics magazine, which provides extensive coverage and analysis of enabling electronic and optoelectronic technologies in military, space, and commercial aviation applications. A member of the Military & Aerospace Electronics staff since the magazine's founding in 1989, Mr. Keller took over as chief editor in 1995.
