Transportation

Industry heavyweights come out for NAIS briefing
Nationwide Automatic Identification System contract may eventually be worth as much as $165 million, but executives suspect that the project will lead into work on the Command 2010 project; Boeing, L-3, SAIC, and others attend a briefing
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Navy to deploy dolphins and sea lions to Washington naval base
Puget Sound gets ready to accept a flotilla of marine mammals; dolphins use sonar to swiftly locate maritime intruders; versitile sea lions capture them with a rope; military hopes to eventually replace them with machines
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Iran announces deployment of new UAV fleet
Unverified claims come as Iran prepares for a showdown with the United States; Iran says new drone cannot be detected by radar; new model may be based on the Ababil first seen in 1997
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"Speed bump" IEDs continue to plague forces in Iraq
With EFPs suddenly in the limelight, it is important to keep in mind other IED threats; speed bump IEDs are simple to manufacture, easy to conceal, and require no Iranian assistance; V-shaped hulls and mine rollers among established defensive techniques, but more are needed
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Senate to clash with House over container 100% inspection provision
The House voted to mandate 100% inspection of U.S.-bound frieght containers; a Senate panel agrees with the Bush administration that the measure would be too costly
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MIT puts final touches on a micro turbine engine
Millimeters in diameter machines could power miniature batteries or serve as engines in micro air vehicles; possible energy per weight unit estimated at 1200-1500 whr/kg; U.S. Army foots the bill
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Insect avionics to keep aircraft from crashing
Bees use optical flow to measure speed and height while landing; a similar digital feedback loop attached to aircraft could save lives; researchers at the University of the Mediterranean solicit interest from helicopter manufacturers
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Deepwater under continued fire
Henry Waxman charges Coast Guard with misleading DHS auditors and vows to get to the bottom of it; an independent DoD assessment finds the Deepwater project in trouble and wonders in Lockheed and Northrop should be stripped of their favored position; opportunities beckon for others
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Boeing wins $11 million UUV refurbishment and testing contract
Industry heavyweight will give the AN/BLQ-11 Long-term Mine Reconnaissance System a thorough going-over; system capable of twelve hours of autonomous reconnaissance before docking itself through the torpedo tube; testing to begin at Puget Sound and Bahamas
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Irate passenger removes shoes, pants
No Z Backscatters needed as German tourist in the Philippines tries to expose the naked truth about airport security; charged with lewd behavior, he may spend six years in jail
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IBT challenges Boeing's TWIC contract
Integrated Biometric Technology says TSA misread its proposal and asks for a review; appeal unlikely to derail the $70 million Boeing project; Office of Dispute Resolution for Acquisition comes under criticism
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Waxman goes after Booz Allen for SBInet conflict of interest
The consulting firm holds a contract to manage the SBInet program, but it also works as a subcontractor to Boeing in other projects; as Boeing is constructing the border system, Waxman worries about oversight
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Israel Aerospace Industries makes its mark in Indian UAV market
IAI has sold more than 100 of its Searcher Mark II and Heron models; company is in discussion with local Speck Systems for joint development of the Baaz; keeping tabs on Jammu and Kashmir a key Indian concern
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Raytheon announces new self-authenticating PASS Card
Interesting approach to WHTI program relies on a card with a self-contained fingerprint scanner; travelers press their thumb to the card, which then sends authentication data via RFID to security officials
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Banning lighters from flights costs company $5 million a year
The Pennsylvania maker of Zippo cigarette lighters says that the TSA decision to ban lighters from flight cost it $5 million a year
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