WILMINGTON, Mass. – Textron Systems Corp. Friday said its Adaptable Radiation Area Monitor (ARAM) had detected a shipment of depleted uranium that was being shipped by truck on a highway in California.
According to the California Highway Patrol, a large rig passing through a checkpoint at the California-Nevada border triggered the radiological alarm on July 20. That prompted action by Nevada County Health Services and the Truckee Fire Protection District and its Hazardous Materials Unit, which inspected and eventually cleared the vehicle.
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Though the truck was carrying the load legally and the public was never in danger, Textron said in its news release today on Business Wire, the company’s ARAM “demonstrated its unique capability to rapidly and accurately identify radiological material passing through the area and provide an immediate alarm.”
The ARAM detection system – developed by recent Textron Systems acquisition Innovative Survivability Technology (IST) of Goleta, Calif. – is “an automatic portal monitor designed to identify illicit movement of radiological materials which may be concealed in automobiles, trucks, packages, boats, cargo, shipping containers, or by personnel,” the news release said. It can detect and identify radioactive materials, including medical and industrial isotopes that may be used in “dirty bombs.”
The ARAM system “is unique among radiation detectors in its ability to accurately detect very small quantities of radioactive materials moving at speeds as fast as 50 miles per hour, in real time,” the company said
“The frightening reality is that terrorist attacks can occur anywhere, at any time,” said Brian Adlawan, Textron Systems’ program director for emerging systems. “The ARAM detection system can be readily inserted into the stream of commerce to prevent the transfer of radiological threats that might otherwise enter this country with relative ease.
“With fast, accurate detection and identification by the ARAM system,” he said, “we can fill the gap without interrupting the flow of traffic and commerce. The California Highway Patrol has deployed ARAM wisely at many critical way points; and other states are following suit.”
The system has been adapted to operate in fixed portals, in portable backpacks, and in vehicle-mounted mobile systems, including cargo planes and small boats. They can be used as standalone radiation monitors or as part of a comprehensive security network.
Textron Systems Corp. (www.systems.textron.com ) provides innovative technology to the global aerospace and defense industries. Its products include weapons, mobility and surveillance systems, and aviation engines and actuation systems. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Avco Corp., which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Textron Inc.
Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT) – a $10 billion multi-industry company with about 37,000 employees in 33 countries – includes Bell Helicopter, Cessna Aircraft, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO and Greenlee, among other brands. Further information is available at www.textron.com.
