The United States Homeland Security has announced a fleet of more than 600 security vehicles for its operations at major airports.
The vehicles are equipped with cameras, lasers and sound sensors.
“We are investing in the next generation of vehicles and equipment that will help us better serve the needs of our communities,” said Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen in a statement.
“This new fleet will provide additional security for our nation’s airports and provide our law enforcement partners a more robust presence in our nation.”
The vehicles, designed to work with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) existing fleet of vehicle-mounted security cameras, are expected to be available for use at airports by 2019.
The National Highway Safety Administration is also looking at deploying a fleet to other U.S. airports to help reduce the number of vehicles on the road.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the agency has already used the vehicles to help speed up aircraft inspections and to support pilots in operations.
Earlier this month, the Transportation Security Administration announced it had installed the first vehicle in operation at U.P.O. terminals.
The vehicle is the only one of its kind in the U.K. and is the first of its type to be used by the TSA to carry out passenger screening and to ensure that the security measures they use are in place.
On Friday, NHTSA also announced a $1.4 billion expansion of the NHT, a new agency that oversees all the nation’s highway safety and security programs.
The agency is also considering installing more security cameras and a more secure perimeter at airports to protect Americans from terrorist attacks.
While the Homeland Security vehicles are meant to help the agency secure U.E. and U.N. facilities, the DHS has said they will also be used to conduct border security operations at international borders.
