WASHINGTON, Nov. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- ICx Technologies has been selected by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to provide and develop next- generation handheld detectors to counter radiological and nuclear threats. Under the DHS contract, ICx will receive $1.3 million for the rapid enhancements of current ICx radiological detection devices, and up to $4.7 million in additional funds for research and development of a new breed of portable radiation detectors.
In support of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's mission to protect the homeland from terrorist threats, the Human Portable Radiation Detection Systems (HPRDS) program will deploy handheld and backpack sized radiological detectors at U.S. ports and borders.
"The portable technology will be used primarily by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers for secondary screening of cargo to identify and localize radiological material after a primary alarm has been triggered," according to DHS officials. "It is also anticipated that the devices could be used by U.S. Coast Guard officers aboard vessels prior to an arrival at port."
"Perhaps the gravest threat of our time is the prospect of terrorist- controlled nuclear material being smuggled across the border or through our ports," said Hans Kobler, CEO of ICx Technologies. "Our partnership with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is a testament to ICx Technologies' commitment to rapidly deploy our existing innovative detection products and to develop next-generation nuclear detectors to counter this threat and protect the homeland."
The IDIQ contract was awarded on October 25, 2006 by the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office and will extend to 2010 if all options are exercised. The full value of the contract with all options exercised is up to $117 million in sales and an additional $6 million in research & development funds.
Under the contract ICx Radiation (formerly Target Instruments of Oak Ridge, TN) will develop next-generation handheld and backpack-sized detectors to sense and locate nuclear threats such as dirty bombs or unauthorized radiological material. The detectors will be based on an ICx handheld instrument called identiFINDER(TM). ICx already has over 300 instruments deployed with the U.S. Coast Guard. The identiFINDER is the market leading spectrometer, dose rate meter and nuclide finder for detecting nuclear and radiological materials.
Contract Extends ICx Leadership in Detection
of Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosive (CBRNE) Threats
ICx Technologies offers advanced capabilities to detect threats in all of the critical CBRNE segments -- chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive. ICx CBRNE products are compact, portable and simple to use compared to laboratory instruments that perform similar functions and our products are made to be much more rugged and affordable. Their sensitivity, accuracy and low false alarm rates compare favorably to other units designed for use in the field.
"We are pleased that our unique capabilities will be utilized to support DHS and this critical assignment to help better secure America," said Kobler. "This effort is right in line with our mission to combine deep technical expertise with unique understanding of evolving threats to create effective security solutions."
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