Northeastern to Lead Center for Engineering Secure Environments
The Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate has awarded the Engineering Secure Environments from Targeted Attacks (ESE) Center of Excellence a $3.6 million grant for its first year of operations as part of a 10-year grant period. S&T has selected Northeastern Univ. in Boston to lead the consortium. “ESE’s research agenda will foster a culture of ‘security by design’ to integrate novel engineering design concepts, technologies, and capabilities to detect, deter, mitigate and respond to targeted attacks,” says Kathryn Coulter Mitchell, acting director of S&T.
DHS S&T Awards Block MEMS $3M to Develop Vehicle-Borne IED Technology
Block MEMS says it has received a $2.6 million contract from the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate to build on the company’s quantum cascade laser technology for detecting vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (VBIEDs). The program builds on technology development work Massachusetts-based Block MEMS did for the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Agency. The company says the focus of its program for DHS is to detect vehicles containing VBIEDS before they enter stadiums, office building parking structures, and other soft targets. Block’s technology is able to detect trace explosives up to five meters away.
US, Israeli Firms Nab Homeland Security Grant for Collision Avoidance System
Sagetech Avionics and Ciconia LTD, have received a $1 million grant from the Israel-U.S. Binational Industrial Research and Development (BIRD) Homeland Security program to develop a mid-air conflict management and collision avoidance system for first responders and other aerial platforms. Sagetech, based in Washington, provides situational awareness solutions for crewed and uncrewed aerial systems. Israel-based Ciconia is focused on collision avoidance systems for aerial platforms. The two companies were already collaborating prior to the award. “Together, we will be developing a unique mid-air conflict management system which marries both of our current technologies to create a solution for safe integration of crewed and uncrewed air vehicles in very sense airspace,” says Tom Furey, Sagetech’s CEO. He adds that the grant will accelerate the technology development. “Our partnership with Sagetech will enable us to jointly develop and commercialize a far more efficient means of employing all airborne assets in critical situations,” says Moshe Cohen, Ciconia’s CEO.
Dedrone Adds Ninth Federal Agency as Customer for sUAS Security
Dedrone, a provider of airspace security and counter-unmanned aircraft systems (C-UAS), says it has added a ninth U.S. federal agency as a customer, with three new federal agencies having become customers in September. The specific customer and any contract details were not disclosed. Dedrone’s U.S. government customers deploy the company’s C-UAS solutions against small UAS (sUAS) in the continental U.S. and abroad. The company’s DedroneTracker command and control platform are based on an open systems architecture, allowing for easy integration of third-party sensors and mitigation solutions and Defense Department C2 systems. In 2020, Dedrone entered a strategic partnership with General Dynamics’ [GD] Mission Systems business to equip the DoD with complete drone detection and mitigation solutions.