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TSA to slash half the names from terror watch lists
Confusion between singer Cat Stevens and the wife of senator Ted Stevens emblematic of the problem; ongoing problems cause a loss of confidence in DHS procedures; new Secure Flight program may also help; complaints and corrections about DHS databases will now be centralized
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Insitu's ScanEage succesfully meets Navy's heavy fuel requirements
Twenty-eight hour flight, a record for the craft, proves the heavy-fuel concept to a Navy interested both in safety and improved logistics; cold-weather flight overcomes traditional temperature challenges with heavy fuel
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Michael Vick busted for smuggling marijuana on a plane
Ignorance of airport procedures foils the Atlanta quarterback; experts and hopheads agree that large water bottles are not the best of smuggling mediums these days; HSDW decides whether to provide better advice
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DISA solicits communications upgrades for Air Force One
With Boeing’s Connexion service going off-line, the Defense Information Systems Agency looks for a new partner; winning bid must offer 3 megabit/sec data rate, support six aircraft at once, and rely on existing Air Force One antennas
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Smiths Group plays its cards tight
Smiths Groups sells its aerospace division to GE for $4.8 billion, proposing investors a £2.1 billion return — and then forms a detection JV with that company, with both companies hopingt o benefit from increased spending on WMD dection
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Israel Aircraft Industries to launch new missile-hunting UAV
With a wingspan of 110 feet, the Eitan UAV is designed for high altitide, long-haul flights; attached cameras and missiles intended to stop ballistic missiles on the launching pad; trial flights begin this week
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Bureau of Land Management to deploy UAV to Idaho
Agency hopes to use the unnamed craft to keep track of vegetation and recreational areas; monitoring land-use permits a major impetus; local libertarian object to government interference
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Monkeys require special screening, says TSA
Our hairy cousins sometimes work as service animals; checking them for bombs and weapons a concern; diaper removal just part of the job for the modern day screener
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Monkeys require special screening, says TSA
Our hairy cousins sometimes work as service animals; checking them for bombs and weapons a concern; diaper removal just part of the job for the modern day screener
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Scorpion sting delays flight
Non-lethal arachnid hitches a ride from Costa Rica; security fails to detect the beast, but animal control officers manage to find and kill it after attack; HSDW demands action
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New emergency air command goes on-line next week
SCATANA to be replaced with ESCAT; change devolves authority to declare emergencies to regional NORAD commands; shift in responsibility intended to permit commanders to restrict regional flights so as to avoid costly national shutdowns
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GAO to take a second look at airport perimeter security
Upcoming investigation will see if any progress has been made since a scathing 2004 report; undercover GAO teams may attempt to breach airport security to test response; TSA says its hands are clean and welcomes the chance to prove itself
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Boeing Australia to support Insitu's ScanEagle UAV
Deal representative of the close relationship between the two companies; Boeing to provide reconnaissance and surveillance services; ScanEagle, currently deployed by U.S. forces in Iraq, finds an admirer in the Australian high command
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Security procedures tightened at Bangkok airport
Officials promise to make Suvarnabhumi a model of airport security; move follows New Years bombings; authorities take issue with Loxley-ICTS and threaten to cancel the security company’s contract; with Thai officials getting serious about security, opportunities abound for industry
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TSA to permit advertising at airport security checkpoints
In exchange for providing plastic bins, companies will be allowed to place advertisements inside them; test run began in July at LAX; TSA to brief industry on 11 January
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