American Science and Engineering Nabs Orders for Multiple ZBVs, Other Systems
American Science and Engineering [ASEI] has received orders for 18 Z Backscatter Vans (ZBVs) from customers in the Middle East, Asia, Europe, South America and North America as well as orders for some of the company’s other screening systems. The largest single ZBV order is for eight systems from a customer in the Middle East for inspection of vehicles and cargo at high-risk checkpoints. AS&E says that under the various orders the ZBVs will be used for cargo and vehicle screening for checkpoint security, high-threat facility security, law enforcement and border security. “We’ve worked hard to develop the opportunity pipeline for our ZBV platform, growing in key international regions and across application markets, we we’re seeing the positive results,” says Chuck Dougherty, AS&E’s president and CEO. The value of those various orders was not disclosed. AS&E also said it has received a $6.2 million order from a customer to provide a ZBV system, Z Portal drive-through cargo and vehicle screening system, and multiple Gemini parcel X-Ray inspection systems to secure the perimeter of a security summit in the Middle East. The company also received a $4.5 million order from the security system distributor ESE Co. in the Middle East to provide multiple Z Portals and Gemini systems to protect the science and technology center of a university in the Middle East. The company has sold more than 650 ZBVs to 128 customers in 60 countries.
L-3 Receives $9M in EDS Work from TSA
L-3 Communications [LLL] has received two new orders from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to provide support related to the company’s medium-speed explosive detection systems (EDS) used by the agency to screen checked bags at certain airports. The largest order is worth $7.5 million and the smaller order is worth $1 million.
French Airport Acquires EDS from Morpho Detection
France’s Nice Cote d’Azur International Airport has purchased four Morpho Detection, Inc., high-speed CTX 9800 DSi explosive detection systems (EDS) to screen hold baggage, making it the first airport in the continental European Union to screen all checked baggage with an advanced EDS. Deliver of the systems will begin this year with all units scheduled to be online by early 2014. The high-speed CTX 9800 can screen more than 1,000 bags per hour. MDI is a U.S.-based division of France’s Safran Group.
Coast Guard Awards Contracts for FRCs, RB-S
Bollinger Shipyards has received a $250.7 million contract option from the Coast Guard for six Sentinel-class Fast Response Cutters, bringing the total FRCs under order to 24. The Coast Guard has awarded Bollinger $1.1 billion so far for FRC construction and has received seven of the patrol vessels. Separately, the Coast Guard has awarded Metal Shark Aluminum Boats a $5 million delivery order for 15 Response Boats-Small II, bringing to 99 the number of 29-foot Freedom-class vessels under order. To date, Metal Shark has delivered 56 RB-S II boats.
Paragon Receives $114M from FPS for Guard Services in Illinois
Paragon Systems, Inc., has received a potential five-year, $114.3 million contract from the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Protective Service (FPS) to provide armed protective security officer services at various locations throughout Illinois. The company will provide and maintain all management, supervision, manpower, training, equipment, supplies, licenses, permits, certificates, insurance, pre-employment screening, reports and files necessary to accomplish the requirement.
Implant Sciences Sells Benchtop Trace Detector to Brazilian Logistics Company
Implant Sciences [IMSC] says it has sold its QS-B220 desktop explosives trace detector to Brazil-based DMS Logistics for use in air cargo screening in the U.S. In America, DMS operates as DMS America, LLC, out of Florida and is a Certified Cargo Screening Facility (CCSF), which must used Transportation Security Administration-approved screening systems before air cargo packages are loaded onto airplanes. Separately, Implant has sold the QS-B220 to Illinois-based R&M Trucking, a full service tracking company that is also a CCSF. Implant says that R&M purchased the systems to replace older systems that had been grandfathered in by TSA but have an expiration date of Jan. 1, 2014. “The QS-B220 is becoming well known in the industry as the next-generation, highest performing, most cost-efficient explosives trace detector approved by the TSA,” says Darryl Jones, vice president of Sales and Marketing for Implant.
DNDO Awards Contracts for Exploratory Research
The Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO) has awarded multiple contracts for exploratory research under the program topic of preventing nuclear and radiological terrorism. The contracts were executed between Sept. 25 and Sept. 30. Awardees and their amounts are: Radiation Monitoring Devices, $1.5 million under research topic area two, $932,674 under research topic area one, $298,952 under topic area three and another $1.2 million under topic area three; Kromek Ltd., $301,607; Physical Sciences Inc., $999,351 under topic area four; Passport Systems, Inc., $2.3 million under topic area four and $2.7 million under topic area five; National Strategic Research Institute, $3.1 million under topic area five; RadiaBeam Technologies, LLC, $4.4 million under topic area six; and Lockheed Martin’s [LMT] Missiles and Fire Control Unit, $298,418 under topic area six. Topic area one is for new or greatly improved semiconductors for radiation sensing, topic area two is for approaches for very low cost scintillator detector materials of moderate to very good energy resolution including commercial scale production techniques, topic area three is for improved solid-state readout devices for scintillators; topic area four is for integrated threat detection with emphasis on data fusion, informatics and/or novel signal/signature exploitation, topic area five is for highly mobile radiographic imaging system with dose mitigation, and topic area six is for enabling technologies to support rail cargo scanning.
DHS S&T Awards Northeastern Univ. $1M for Video Anomaly Sensing
Northeastern Univ. has received a $1.4 million contract from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science & Technology (S&T) branch for research and development of Video Anomaly Sensing and Tracking. The award, which was made by S&T’s Explosives Division, supports the ALERT Center of Excellence run by Northeastern. The center is focused on explosives detection, mitigation and response.
NICE to Deploy Suspect Detection Capability with Transportation Agency
CHICAGO—NICE Systems [NICE] officials say the company will soon deploy its suspect detection capability with a transportation agency in North America to help law enforcement officials more quickly apprehend suspects after they have entered the transportation system. Suspect detection incorporates video analytics to “catch up” with a person or persons after they have entered a building or facility, enabling authorities to quickly track down where the person is, or most recently was, Bob Banerjee, senior director of Training and Development within NICE’s Security Group, tells HSR here at the ASIS International conference. The system relies on unique signatures on the people that authorities want to locate, he says. A system operator viewing a video monitor clicks on the person in question and the computer narrows down the matches, enabling the operator to move quickly through video images to locate the individual. He says the system can also be used to backtrack and find where someone has been. The system can also locate cars, he says.