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Unisys and Verant certified to join Registered Traveller program
TSA grants its approval after both companies complete successful pilot programs across the country; Unisys looks to expand operations to Reno/Tahoe; certification adds momentum to an important project, but early leader Verified Identity loses potential market share
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Thales Raytheon received $50 million BCS-F contract
Bitter feeling over the initial Battle Control System-Fixed contract does not stop the Air Force from handing over an additional $50 million; system is intended to improve military response to aircraft security problems; BCS-F seen as long behind schedule; cost-overruns a serious concern
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Aussie doctor stopped with bleeding luggage
Plastic surgeon tries to check bloody garments and instruments; much to the disgust of local officials, a leak betrays him
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Marines abandon Dragon Eye UAV for the Raven B
Although the Dragon Eye has seen its share of successes, high cost and inability to handle strong winds sent the Marines back to the drawing board; AeroVironment’s Raven B, already popular with the Army, looks to take up the mission at lower cost
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Infant X-rayed at LAX
Nervous mother puts child in plastic container; baby is cleared for radiation exposure; no bombs found
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Man breaks into Raleigh-Durham airport, takes onboard nap
Intoxicated suspect climbs security fence and boards a plane; discovery leads to cancelled flight; man says he “was going to take a flight”
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Northrop to supply Navy with two Fire Scout UAV helicopters
$16.2 million contract modification a good sign for this intriguing craft; based on the Schweizer Model 333 manned helicopter, Fire Scout is especially suited for reconnaissance, mine detection, and as a communications node for future warfare applications
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Dayton positions itself as a sensor center
Ohio’s Third Frontier Commission awards $28 million for the development of a sensor technology research center; business partners include Woolpert, General Dynamics, UES, YSI, and L-3 Communications Cincinnati Electronics
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DATEL installs Jordanian immigration control system
Jordan Electronic Gate matches passenger fingerprints against a smart card; self-monitoring system constantly updates databases; planners hope to expand program to non-Jordanian citizens
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Nuctech to install liquid bomb detectors ahead of China Olympics
Not coincidentally, contract goes to company headed by the son of China’s president; terms are undisclosed, but 147 airports will receive scanners normally priced at $200,000 per unit; company already controls 90 percent of the domestic scanner market
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Global Hawk flight suspended after communications failure
Northrop Grumman’s flagship UAV is grounded at Beale Air Force Base after craft failed to respond to landing directions; problem is ill-timed with company’s effort to win the Navy’s Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) UAV contract; Global Hawk has a history of problems
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TSA approves GE's foot-scanner for Registered Traveler program
Planners say requiring shoe removal would waste the time the program is intended to save; Unisys takes a close look for its Reno operations, but Z-Backscatter technology may also do the trick; size of kiosks a critical issue
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US-VISIT to drop exit monitoring program
After a GAO report criticizes the border security program for technological and management failings, DHS decides to give up on tracking visitors’ egress; high costs of fingerprinting and facial scanning machines a major issue
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RTI and TAG join forces for a recoilless UAV gun
Recoilless Technologies International and Tactical Aerospace Group attempt to overcome the structural problems of cutting the size of UAVs; blowback from traditional weapons could damage craft; system will compete with Metal Storm’s stacked projectile approach
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BAE Systems to build U.K. UAV demonstrator
£124 million project the third in succession for the Ministry of Defense; UAV said to be similar to company’s Hawk system; first flight expected in 2010; Rolls Royce, QinetiQ, and Smiths Aerospace also involved; BAE is looking for British vendors
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More headlines
The long view
Prototype Self-Service Screening System Unveiled
TSA and DHS S&T unveiled a prototype checkpoint technology, the self-service screening system, at Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas, NV. The aim is to provide a near self-sufficient passenger screening process while enabling passengers to directly receive on-person alarm information and allow for the passenger self-resolution of those alarms.