Smiths Detection Wins $23M Cargo Scanner Contract
Azerbaijan Customs has awarded Smiths Detection a $22.9 million contract to supply the agency with high energy cargo scanners for port and border security. Smiths will supply its HCVG gantry and HCVT trailer screening systems. The gantry system can screen up to 23 trucks per hour. The X-Ray scanning systems, which will be installed this year, will be used to inspect freight, including railway wagons, as part of a customs modernization project already underway. Last year the company sold Azerbaijan four similar gantry systems.
U.K. Airport Operator Orders L-3 EDS Systems
United Kingdom airport operator LHR has ordered 12 L-3 Communications [LLL] eXaminer XLB explosives detection systems (EDS) to screen checked baggage. The eXaminer XLB has a throughput of up to 1,200 bags per hour and is the first dual-energy system certified by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration to meet the high-speed EDS classification and achieve the European Union Standard 3 approval under the Common Evaluation Program. “Using dual-energy CT provides additional data that conventional single-energy CTs cannot deliver,” says Thomas Ripp, president of L-3 Security & Detection Systems. “The threats to aviation are evolving, and we believe the XLB is uniquely positioned to address them.”
Kratos gets $7M Mass Transit, Critical Infrastructure Security Awards
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions [KTOS] has received $7 million in contract awards to provide specialized security systems for a mass transit authority and other critical infrastructures. Under the mass transit award, Kratos will design, engineer, deploy and integrate a security and surveillance system and other security related assets into a command and control network. The name of the customers and detailed information about the solutions are not being disclosed.
OSI Systems Gets $6M Maintenance Order
OSI Systems [OSIS] says its Rapiscan Systems division has received a $6 million order for service and maintenance of its baggage inspection systems used at U.S. airports. Rapiscan’s Advanced Technology X-Ray systems are used to screen carry-on bags at some U.S. airports under contract to the Transportation Security Administration. “Rapiscan is increasingly relied upon to provide comprehensive service and on site support for its wide range of inspection platforms,” says Deepak Chopra, OSI’s CEO.
AS&E Sells ZBVs to Latin American Customer
American Science & Engineering [ASEI] says it has won a follow-on order for three of its Z Backscatter Van screening systems for a law enforcement agency in Latin America. The customer wasn’t disclosed. The ZBVs will be used for port and checkpoint security applications. “Today’s order is an indication of the ZBV system’s continued strength in the Latin American market,” says Robert Postle, senior vice president of AS&E’s Worldwide Marketing and Sales.
FEMA Awards Meridian Institute Contract for Campus Resilience Pilot
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has awarded The Meridian Institute a $1.5 million contract to support the Department of Homeland Security’s Campus Resilience Pilot Program, which was launched in February to enhance emergency preparedness and resilience on college and university campuses in the U.S. Meridian, a non-profit organization based in Colorado, will provide support services in the development and maintenance of the program’s resilience tools, community engagement, facilitation and mediation, strategy assessment, planning and implementation, and strategic communication planning and implementation.
Port of Galveston Selects Mariner’s Security Management Platform
The Mariner Group, LLC, says that the Port of Galveston has selected the company’s CommandBridge security management software as the central component to the port’s Maritime Command and Control & Situational Awareness project. The CommandBridge security management system brings together sensor, video and map data on a common display while also providing other data and response processing. Mariner will also be providing its PortFolio port management software to consolidate Galveston’s port operations management processes into an integrated system. “Mariner was selected for this project after an extensive vendor evaluation process,” says Mike Mierzwa, Galveston’s port director. “We believe that Mariner’s CommandBridge system is the right fit with the Port of Galveston’s growing security and port operational needs for the future.”
Implant Sciences to Provide Trace Detectors for Customer in Africa
Implant Sciences [IMSC] has received a contract from a new customer in Africa t supply seven Quantum Sniffer QS-H150 handheld explosives trace detectors for security screening at court buildings and facilities. “This contract comes as a result of the expanded reach of our sales team,” says Glenn Bolduc, Implant’s president and CEO. “Certain regions of Africa are facing severe and urgent security threats from terrorist and criminal organizations. As our installed base of units expands in Africa, we look forward to continued growth driven by our increasing brand recognition, reputation for excellence and proven value proposition.”
Univ. of Arizona Nabs DARPA MEDS Contract
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded the Univ. of Arizona a potential $1.6 million contract for research on Methods for Explosive Detection at Standoff (MEDS). The contract has a base value of $1.5 million and includes an option for $131,070. DARPA has already awarded BAE Systems and Quasar Federal Systems contracts worth $1.3 million and $1.2 million respectively under MEDS (HSR, Feb. 27 and March 27). The awardees will rapidly develop and demonstrate non-contact methods to detect explosives embedded or packaged in opaque media with high water content at standoff.