Raytheon [RTN] has received a six-month, $2.9 million contract from the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO), to begin developing a Stand-Off Radiation Detection System (SORDS). The contract, which was actually awarded last fall but announced by Raytheon in December, has a potential value of $9.8 million if three additional options are exercised. DNDO also awarded General Electric [GE], the Naval Research Laboratory and Science Applications International Corp. [SAI] SORDS contracts in the fall (TR2, Oct. 17, 2007). Due to proprietary concerns, none of the firms would discuss their respective technological approaches to stand- off radiation detection. Under SORDS, DNDO hopes to advance gamma ray detection technologies to achieve greater stand-off ranges, discrimination of radioactive types and intensities. Raytheon’s teammates on SORDS include Los Alamos National Laboratory, Bubble Technology Industries, Radiation Monitoring Devices, Draper Laboratory, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Univ. of Michigan. For Raytheon, the SORDS contract marks its second in the area of radiation detection systems. In 2006 Raytheon was one of three companies selected to complete development of an Advanced Spectroscopic Portal (ASP), which is the next generation of drive-through portal technology to detect radiation in vehicles and cargo. The ASP program has been delayed because the various designs still fall short of meeting operational requirements. The program is also still awaiting a certification by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff regarding the cost benefits of the new technology. DHS recently tied that certification with a decision to begin major production and deployment of ASPs.
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