• NRC established on-line nuclear material reporting system

    From the construction to the pharmaceutical industries, many companies rely on sealed and bonded radioactive materials; the National Source Tracking System now requires next-day notification of purchases; data will be used to identify and track suspicious transactions

  • AS&E reports Q2 financial results

    Massachusetts-based radiation-detection specialist shows mixed financial results for Q2 2007; earning per share suffered as a result of the adoption in April of SFAS 123R, and the resulting pre-tax charge; the company boasts of the highest order backlog in company’s history — a respectable $117 million

  • Smiths Detection moves forward with Tunnel of Truth

    Scheduled for deployment at the 2012 London Olympics, the system incorporates a slew of automated measures to detect explosives and weapons; scheme resembles GE’s Checkpoint of the Future, including the use of the much-maligned puffer machines

  • DHS announces winners of $113 million in portable radiation detection grants

    Succesful companies include SAIC, Ametec AMT, Sanmina-SCI, Target Instruments, and Smiths Detection; DHS to purchase 1,000 handheld and 200 backpack systems

  • AMETEK wins DHS contract for germanium-based nuclear radiation detector

    There are several types of radiation detectors, but experts lean toward germanium-based gamma ray detectors as offering the best combination of resolution and sensitivity; a specialist in this technology has just won a $2.4 million contract from DHS — a contract with a potential $50 million value over a five year period

  • Thresher acquires Talon

    The market for the secure containment, transportation, and storage of nuclear materials is growing — what with these materials offering lucrative targets for terrorists and growing environmental concerns; Thresher, a company which knows a thing or two about casting and composite materials, is acquiring Talon, a specialist in manufacturing premium metal matrix composites

  • ICx Nomadics turns men into dogs with new explosive sniffer

    The Fido XT is used alongside canine units to maximize coverage; users must train themselves to imitate German shepherds; technology is sensitive enough to locate a pistol that has not been fired in ten years; robot mounting an option, too

  • New business opportunities in radiation detection technologies

    The North Korea nuclear test, and the inexorable march of Iran toward acquiring nuclear weapons, increase the risks of nuclear weapon proliferation; there are thus many opportunities in developing new radiation detection technologies

  • GAO hashly criticizes the next generation of radiation portal monitors

    Scheduled for deployment next year, the monitors failed to correctlty identify highly enriched uranium, whether masked or bare; GAO finds the cost of $377,000 per unit entirely unjustified and asks DHS officials to go back to the drawing board; Thermo Electron, Raytheon, and Canberra Industries to received $1.2 billion for new machines

  • Researchers develop portable lab on a chip to identify WMD contamination

    Soldiers and first responders are exposed to chemical and biological threats, so there is a need to develop a quick and accurate technology to identify dangerous exposure — a technology, moreover, which can be carried easily into the field or the urban disaster area to perform on-the-spot contamination checks; researchers affiliated with MIT have developed such a technology

  • RAE Systems strikes a deal with the National Guard

    Company will supply portable gas and radiation detectors to fifty-five Guard Civil Support Teams; agile Rapid Deployment Kits consist of four specialized monitors and sensors

  • New analytical technique for detecting liquid explosives

    ASU professor set out to develop a more sensitive enzymatic detector for better management of diabetics, and realized that the technology may be used for quick and accurate detection of liquid explosives; and a good thing, too, as terrorists show a greater tendency to move away from commercial explosives toward home-made ones

  • Illinois issues request for specially-made radiation detectors

    Off the shelf products no good for this enterprising state with high standards for quality and usability; officials seek to purchase 22,000 hybrid devices; Thermo Electron, Canberra Industries, and RAE Systems among likely bidders

  • Smiths Detection, RedXDefense partner to create mass transit EDS

    In Congress they debate whether or not to mandatory 100 percent inspection of U.S.-bound cargo containers; two explosive detection leaders are joining hands to produce a system which will make sure that 100 percent of subway passengers in the U.S. are screened for explosives

  • Possible North Korean nuclear test brings business opportunities

    Demand seen for small radiation detectors in Asia; manufacturers of potassium iodite, potassium iodide, and potassium iodate should start reviewing inventory now