Business

Top U.S. federal contracts to exceed $180 billion In 2010
New report says that the top 20 federal contracts, many involving IT purchases, will be worth 50 percent more than last year’s contracts
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Senate weakens ban on off-shore companies with federal contracts
The “Buy American” provisions in the $787 billion stimulus package prohibited DHS contracts from going to foreign companies — or from “inverted” companies (that is, companies with phony foreign headquarters); in March the ban was extended to other government agencies — but the ban has now been loosened
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Kachemak sees growing interest from military, law enforcement
Alaska-based Kachemak Research Development developed an advanced vehicles’ undercarriage inspection system; the military and law enforcement are interested
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CSC replaces Unisys in a half-billion-dollar TSA account
A 2006 DHS IG review criticized Unisys for handling TAS’s Information Technology Infrastructure Program (ITIP) services contract; CSC has now won the five-year contract, potentially worth $493 million
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Lockheed Martin show 360-degree IR sensor for better targeting
The hand-launched Desert Hawk III is designed to operate in extreme temperatures and high altitudes and has provided the British Army with critical intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities in Iraq and Afghanistan; it will now be equipped with an upgraded 360-degree color electro optic (E/O) sensor, providing 10 times continuous zoom capability and aiding in contact identification
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Radioactive rabbit poo found at plutonium production site
A clean-up survey at the Hanford site in Washington State, where military-grade plutonium was produced during the early years of the cold war, discovered radioactive jackrabbit droppings around the site; the rabbits burrowed in the area and discovered the tanks in which nuclear waste is stored; they liked the salty taste of the radioactive cesium and strontium salts, so they began drinking and licking them routinely
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Small business alliance enters homeland security arena
A group of companies formed the Strategic Security Alliance to increase the visibility of its member firms and make them more competitive in the homeland and maritime security markets
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Passport production brings L-1 $195 million
The latest in a string of biometric contracts brings the Stamford, Connecticut company $195 million deal to provide the U.S. Department of State with a high-security production system for e-passports
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Raytheon to export new ray gun
Skin-heating Silent Guardian has attracted negative commentary from its earliest development days, and repeated requests for it from U.S. commanders overseas have thus been denied; foreign governments do not have such qualms
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IBM's wants to make food smarter
Big Blue offers systems for tracing the raw materials of food products through “an increasingly complex global supply chain”
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Apple offers facial recognition for iPhoto
Biometric technology is used in security and e-commerce, but it can also be used to shorten searches through large digital photo banks; Apple offers facial recognition for its iPhoto
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More demos set for nine-lived Fire Scout
A Northrop Grumman UAV — the MQ-8B Fire Scout — refuses to die; it was part of the now-canceled Future Combat Systems (FCS) program, but the system stubbornly hangs on
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Strap-on UGV kit
Now you can turn you car into a UGV (unmanned ground vehicle): A retrofit from a Utah company allows you to turn your car into a UGV in about four hours
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Canon eyes 10 percent share of India's security surveillance market
The size of India’s digital security surveillance market is estimated to be Rs 100 crore; Canon wants to account for 10 percent of that market by December 2010; market is growing at a rate of 45 percent annually
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Panelists call for more investment in anti-piracy technology
Experts on a panel at the International Maritime Museum of Hamburg call for more investment in anti-piracy technology, and for greater coordination among trading nations to address the threat of piracy
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