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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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NY/NJ Port Authority offers national port security recommendations
Suggestions include minimum mandatory cargo inspection standards, a federal port and cargo policy director, and a port security user fee to offset security costs
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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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Golden State Fence rapped for hiring illegal immigrants
Undocumented workers helped build border fence; company to pay $5 million in fines for violating earlier agreement; two executives face prison time
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RemoteReality receives $7.3 million in VC funding
Battelle Ventures and Chart Venture partners pick up the tab; company a DoD favorite for its 360-degree video analytics technology; USS Cole and USS Greenville incidents drive demand for on-board surveillance and monitoring
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Berkeley Nucleonics radiation portal handles moving vehicles with ease
Unlike its competitors, the Flexible Illicit Nuclear Detection system can detect dirty bombs in moving traffic; system adaptable for mail parcel facilities, bulk cargo, and small water-borne vessels
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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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UK scientists develop mine-spotting camera
By dividing an image into thirty-two separate snapshots the system can pick out features unobservable to humans; expanded color palette the key; Qinetiq and Selex try to move technology to the market; system has medical uses as well
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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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The long view
Calls Grow for U.S. to Counter Chinese Control, Influence in Western Ports
Experts say Washington should consider buying back some ports, offer incentives to allies to decouple from China.