Aviation and Airport

U.K. terror plot exposes vulnerability of current detection systems
Governments have invested billions of dollars in explosive detection devices (EDs) and radiation detectors; the unfolding terrorist drama in London show that the current detection system has gaping holes which clever terrorists might exploit
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EDO eyeing UAV market
Large contractor has grown substantially through strategic acquisitions; its
latest target: A Tennessee company making composites used in UAV
construction
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Radiation therapy traces set off radiation monitors at airports
Hundreds of thousands of patients in the United States and Europe – and millions around the world – receive radiation therapy for various ailments, and nuclear material are also widely used for diagnostic purposes; trouble is, these procedure leave radiation traces in the body for weeks, and these traces set off sensitive nuclear detection systems at airports
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SFO testing video analytics
Speaking of rail security, Congress may want to consider the use of video analytics — now under testing at several of the nation’s airports — in mitigating suspicious activity at rail stations
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Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works demonstrates new UAV
Unmanned vehicles — in the air, on land, and at sea — are the wave of the future; Lockheed Martin’s famed Skunk Works demonstrates a third-generation UAV/UCAV, nicknamed Polecat, made of composite materials; the Polecat is the company’s best hope of gaining ground in the UAV race — ground it has lost during the past ten years to Boeing, Northrop Grumman, and General Atomics
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Northrop Grumman in $49.5 million contract to defend U.S. Air Force planes • Part of contract for LAIRCM aircraft defense systems worth up to $3.2 billion
Iran and Syria have supplied Hezbollah with nearly 12,000 missiles and rockets; how many shoulder-mounted anti-aircraft missiles have these two countries given to Hezbollah – and other terrorist organizations? The U.S. Air Force is not taking any chances, buying defensive measures for its Big Birds; some of these defensive measures may be modified and deployed on civilian aircraft
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World’s first battery-operated manned airplane
A milestone in aviation history: Japanese students fly the first battery-powered man-operated plane
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Europe warms up to UAVs
UVAs are a big thing in the U.S., and the Europeans are becoming more and more interested as well
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Senate votes to bolster border security; rejects increased tax on airline tickets
Senate approves homeland security budget which includes major allocations for border security; for second year in a row Congress rejects administration’s plan to increase tax on airline tickets
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DHS modifies airline passenger information program
DHS wants international airlines to help it check for suspected terrorists who try to board U.S.-bound planes, and for domestic airlines to provide it with lists of all passengers getting on board; DHS checks the lists thus provided against the department’s no-fly watch-list and alert the airlines; trouble is, the no-fly list contains so many inaccuracies that this checking procedure has resulted in many delays – and even in planes being forced to go back to the port of origin, only to discover that a suspected terrorist on board was not a terrorist after all; DHS is now giving airlines more time to implement an improved system
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Foreign companies line up to bid on Midway airport
Earlier this year the firestorm over a Dubai-based company’s plans to run operations in several U.S. ports caused many to rethink the question of foreign ownership of U.S. critical infrastructure assets; still, as the city of Chicago is getting set to lease its Midway airport, all the likely bidders are non-U.S. companies
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Airports security measure may spread foot fungus -- and more
Taking off shoes may help in increasing airline security, but study now finds that it exposes passengers to other risks such as foot fungus and gonorrhea
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Australia considers sole-source Global Hawk purchase
UAVs are increasingly popular among militaries, homeland security agencies, and law enforcements units; the Australian government is on the verge of making a major UAV purchasing decision, and there are four companies competing for the contract and three options on how to buy the drones
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BlastGard raises $1.2 million; expands activities to unit loading device market
A developer of blast mitigation trash cans and other blast-resistant gear receives funding and expands its reach into the airplane-loading market
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Analysis: Growing opposition to administration’s plan to relax foreign ownership rule of U.S. airlines
The administration wants to relax the rules prohibiting foreign ownership of U.S. airlines; critics argue that the administration’s agile word parsing with regard to the term “actual control” of airlines short-changes U.S. national security
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