Eight unauthorized people managed to enter the security area of Berlin airport simply by cutting a hole in the peri­meter fence. Even though security personnel were quick to respond, their response still lasted around an hour before order was restored. The Interior Minister of Brandenburg, Michael Stübgen, quickly demanded a rapid improvement in the security of the airport compound by federal police and the airport operators, and expressed his surprise at how easy it apparently was to gain illegal entry with just a pair of wire cutters.

In an unusual display of unity, politicians across the spectrum, including the Green party and the far right AfD, criticized the intrusion. The “Last Generation” (“Letzte Generation” in German) stated that their members had been able to cross the area on bicycles. The alarm in Berlin closed the airport for 90 minutes, during which 15 incoming flights were diverted to Leipzig, Dresden and Düsseldorf. Five flights were unable to depart, while other incoming flights were sent in the holding pattern. Luckily, no aircraft were damaged or endangered and no one was injured during this incursion ... this time.

Intrusion Attempts on Perimeter Fencing

So there are a number of solutions to rapidly detect tampering with a boundary fence. RBTec of Maryland, USA, offers a range of products worldwide that employ different techniques to detect – and importantly to accurately locate – intrusion attempts on perimeter fencing. Using either buried cabling to detect vibrations nearby, or a fiberoptic cable attached to the middle of a boundary fence, their systems can be finely calibrated to ignore regular, “safe” sounds and weather-induced signals while responding immediately to the typical vibrations caused by destructive actions. The mid-fence solution is, of course, very quick to install or retrofit and requires no power at distant locations.

Senstar’s product range includes mesh-connected lighting units that respond to any physical contact with a fence and report activity to other security systems. Their fiber solutions can pinpoint tampering activity down to within four meters (13 ft.) Haverkamp provides a security fence monitoring solution for new or existing fences using quiescent current or vibration monitoring that will detect tampering or damage, also combined with ground sensors, if necessary.

A second line of defense for the perimeter fence can be provided by invisible beams along the inside being broken: Infrared, microwave and radar are the most commonly used techniques, and have had their algorithms refined over the years to easily disregard wildlife interruptions, such as by foxes or birds. The Italian company Cias can provide any of these types to meet the needs of any site, domestic or commercial.

In February 2021, GIT SECURITY featured a system by Sorhea that uses a dynamic radio mesh network between its Solaris infrared beam columns to transmit alarm information. The only infrastruture require along the perimeter is a concrete block every 100 meters or so. Stateside, you might like to contact Southwest Microwave, who employs their Intrepid microwave sensors to build a volumetric security zone where any human movement will trigger the alarm.

Monitoring and VMS

Security on the landside areas of airports already starts on the approach roads and urban transport platforms, with video surveillance supported by intelligent algorithms taking the eye strain out of monitoring dozens and potentially hundreds of cameras. A digital infrastructure and a highly featured VMS is essential to provide the coverage necessary to meet the needs of various stakeholders: the airport security team and operational management, the police, immigration and border security staff, medical personnel, vehicle rental companies and, last but by no means least, the airlines themselves.

At the core of Vivotek’s Smart VCA image analysis is a deep-learning AI engine that can detect loitering, missing or unattended objects, line crossing and other behavioral­ activities according to the given event rules. With an extremely versatile range of video surveillance products and interaction with third-party devices guaranteed by the ONVIF compatibility of all components, Dallmeier can provide a customized solution internationally to match the specific needs of major projects while complying with local data protection regulations.

Detection of Explosives, Drugs and Metals

Walk-through scanners with red and green lights have been providing elementary metal detection for decades at the interface between landside and airside, with many comic sketches being based on the process of ensuring that passengers and airside staff are “OK”. But metal detection alone is no longer sufficient because 3D-printed devices, explosives and drugs have increasingly been found in carry-on items. L3Harris manufactures the Provision range of people-screening devices that ensure untoward substances or devices are found, and conform with privacy expectations if necessary without providing an image to be studied by security staff. They use safe, millimeter wave radio frequency technology. The TH1800 imaging system from security scanning multi talent Nutech is a stand-off people screening solution to detect objects concealed under clothing, such as metal/non-metal weapons, IEDs, liquids, narcotics, or explosive belts. A terahertz signal from the device forms a high-contrast, real-time image, allowing automatic threat detection. Terahertz waves are absolutely harmless to humans, and are non-ionizing.

Anti-Drone Measures

The advent of cheap, fast drones has become a real headache for airport operators worldwide. Whether flown through dumb naivety, bravado or intentional espionage, the intrusion of any drone in the airspace over or around an airport is a serious safety breach with potentially catastrophic consequences. The anti-drone industry is new, dynamic, and has already come up with many approaches to detecting and removing these airborne pests by jamming, disorientating, and hacking among others. It is a cat-and-mouse game, however, with commercial drone manufacturers continuously hardening their products, too.

Dedrone provides a clever detection system consisting of multiple sensor types that will rapidly locate a drone and its operator, often before it encroaches toward the airport perimeter. The Adani product palette employs multiple technologies to detect and, where legal, disable intruding aerial threats. A wide choice of solutions can be combined with other systems, also to military specifications if required. The Orion family of solutions from TRD integrates the detection and defeat of approaching airborne threats. The company not only supplies customers with off-the-shelf solutions but also develops its own customized products to address specific needs. Whichever solution is chosen, it should also have a “friend-or-foe” ability because, just sometimes, airport operators want to fly a drone themselves over their own property.

Once you have decided which systems you are going to install and the location of your operational control room in the US, the UK/Europe, or the Middle East, you could contact Winsted who will be delighted to help you design the layout and build some stylish and ergonomic furniture to fit. And when it is finished, send us some pictures, please!