Thermo Fisher Scientific [TMO] has agreed to acquire Ahura Scientific, a developer and producer of handheld analytical instruments used in defense, homeland security and industrial applications, for $145 million in cash. The deal includes an earnout provisioin based on certain 2010 financial targets and is expected to be concluded in the first quarter of this year. Ahura makes a range of portable instruments serving military and first responders, pharmaceutical and medical applications markets. Its products are based on two technologies, Raman spectroscopy and Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR). Thermo Fisher has benchtop units that are based on Raman and FT-IR technologies but no handheld products. Thermo Fisher’s handheld instruments are based on X-Ray fluorescence technology. The various technologies have different ways to identify substances, although the Raman and FT-IR systems are able to identify a broader array of materials. Ahura has 120 employees and posted $45 million in sales last year. Its chemical and explosives identification products include FirstDefender and TruDefender FT. Ahura is a portfolio company of Castile Ventures.