Smiths Detection Introduces Low-Cost, Mobile Cargo Scanner
Smiths Detection has unveiled the HCVM e mobile X-Ray cargo scanner that is says is smaller, more cost-effective and designed for easier operation in the field. The systems uses the power of a 4MeV X-Ray accelerator and can scan loaded cargo containers with a steel penetration of eight inches. The HCVM e is light enough to be driven without the need for a U.S. Commercial Driver’s License. “With budgets cut and screening environments for customs and border police increasingly complex and limited in space, this system sets a new standard in very respect,” says Mal Maginnis, president of Smiths Detection. “It is the only one of its kind with no CDL required to drive or operate in the United States and its small footprint makes it the ideal for screening in city and other confined environments.”
Schiebel’s CAMCOPTER S-100 Flies with New Heavy Fuel Engine
Austria’s Schiebel says the heavy-fuel powered CAMCOPTER S-100 unmanned aircraft system (UAS) has made its first flight. The company says the new engine has met its expectations and that deliveries of the unmanned system are expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2012. The heavy fuel engine is capable of using several jet fuels, a flexibility the company says in not available in other tactical vertical take-off-and-landing UAS. Schiebel says that the new engine provides a lower logistical footprint, which combined with the ability to use only one fuel when deployed, makes it “ideal for maritime applications.”
Lockheed Martin, ZyGEM Releasing Rapid DNA Analysis Platform
Lockheed Martin [LMT] and ZyGEM Corp. plan to release pre-production units this summer of a rapid DNA analysis platform they are developing that is designed to simplify and speed DNA analysis for human identity testing. The companies recently unveiled a compact cartridge device that is a key component of the rapid analysis platform. The companies are developing a platform that uses advanced microfluidics and ZyGEM’s proprietary nucleic acid isolation technology to accelerate the DNA identification process and has integrated all the elements to create a compact laboratory on a single chip that significantly reduces the number of DNA processing steps and time required for analysis. The pre-production units will be released to select customers in the forensic, homeland security and intelligence communities. The companies say that their system can conduct the DNA identification process in the lab or field in less than 90 minutes.
GD-Sponsored Edge Innovation Network, ASU Extend Homeland Security Cooperation
General Dynamics [GD] says its GD C4 Systems-sponsored EDGE Innovation Network and Arizona State Univ. (ASU) have agreed to extend the existing Fed/Civ EDGE Innovation Center to the school’s Polytechnic Campus. The new collaborative environment enables government personnel to work directly with academia and industry to study and propose solutions to some of the most pressing border and homeland security challenges. In addition to the facility, a four-acre “living laboratory” will be available to test and evaluate ideas and proposed solutions in realistic outdoor conditions. The laboratory is a hands-on environment enabling the exploration and integration of various technologies, such as broadband wireless communications and surveillance that may benefit the Border Patrol and others. The outdoor lab will test new and innovative capabilities that could be integrated into the national network of towers that comprise the national Rescue 21 system that is used by the Coast Guard for responding to mariner distress calls.
Harris to Discontinue Cyber Hosting Operation
Harris Corp. [HRS] plans to discontinue its Cyber Integrated Solutions operation that provides remote cloud hosting, saying that although demand continues for cyber security and cloud-enabled solutions, its government and commercial customers currently prefer hosting mission-critical information on their own premises rather than remotely. Harris says it will continue to provide its customers with advanced cyber security and cloud-enabled software applications and solutions as a service. “These actions allow us to refocus our capital and efforts on the secure, cost-effective communications and IT solutions that our customers are demanding,” says William Brown, president and CEO of Harris. The company expects to incur an after-tax charge of $70 million to $80 million during FY ’12 due to these actions. The actions including selling a related data center facility that is part of Harris’ Integrated Network Solutions segment.
1st Detect Introduces Miniature Mass Spectrometer
1st Detect Corp., a subsidiary of Astrotech Corp. [ASTC], has introduced the MMS-1000 Miniature Mass Spectrometer that is designed for use in the research laboratory market. The unit is capable of rapid detection of trace levels of volatile compounds in about five seconds. The company says applications include the security and industrial markets including airports, border security, first responder, military, and other customers.