ICx Technologies [ICXT] has received two contracts potentially valued at over $19 million for continued development of chemical and biological detection technologies. The largest award, a multi-year indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract from the Army Research Office, is worth up to $17.2 and is for further development of the company’s enzyme and mass spectrometry-based technologies for hazardous chemical detection. Potential applications include sensitive site assessment, maneuver operations, and fixed-site surveillance and or protection, ICx says. Separately, the company received a $2.3 million Phase 3 Small Business Innovative Research award from the Marine Corps Systems Command to continue development of its Modular Tactical Detection System. The system would continuously sample and detect in near-real time to alert troops of a potential bio-threat. Once an alarm goes off the system triggers an aerosol collector and an identifier to check if the aerosol that created the alarm is a harmful biological agent. ICx is trying to develop the system so that it can detect a harmful agent in under15 minutes. While the work for the Marines isn’t due to be completed until next year, the company is accelerating development in order to be ready for the Defense Department’s Joint Biological Tactical Detection System (JBTDS) shoot-off this summer, Chuck Call, CEO of Biodefense for ICx, tells TR2. A Request for Proposals for a Technology Readiness Evaluation for JBTDS was issued recently and ICx plans to respond, he says. JBTDS would be a man-portable system designed to trigger an aerosol collector and analyzer and do the identification testing rapidly.
free preview