American Science and Engineering Inc. (AS&E) announced Wednesday that it has been chosen by the U.S. Dept of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO) to develop a cargo inspection system to detect shielded nuclear threats at the nation’s points of entry.
The two year development phase of the agreement is valued at $28.8 million with a guaranteed minimum value of $4.3 million. Procurement could follow the development phase that could increase the total contract value up to $450 million.AS&E and its partner, Passport Systems Inc, adopted a system concept that combines high energy X-ray radiography with a 3D X-ray interrogation technology technique. The system will combine 9 MeV transmission imaging radiography with automatic identification of high atomic number materials such as tungsten, lead, uranium, or plutonium.
It will meet both the requirements of DNDO for detecting nuclear materials and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection for detecting contraband.