L-3 COMMUNICATIONS DEVELOPS GROUNDBREAKING NUCLEAR MATERIAL DETECTION TECHNOLOGY FOR CARGO INSPECTION FOR DHS DNDO

L-3 Communications (NYSE: LLL) announced today that its Security and Detection Systems division has been awarded a contract to develop a revolutionary Cargo Advanced Automated Radiography System (CAARS) by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO).

CAARS is designed to automatically detect shielded enriched uranium or weapons-grade plutonium hidden in trucks, shipping containers, air cargo, and other conveyances, through the use of dual-energy X-ray signals.  The L-3 CAARS will inspect fully loaded containers and vehicles at rates up to 60 inspections per hour and will meet US Customs and Border Protection imaging performance requirements for dense cargo inspection.

The contract, valued up to $450 million, extends over a period of seven years for supplies and services associated with concept and technology development, developmental test and evaluation, low-rate initial production, full-rate production, and associated spiral development of CAARS.  L-3 received a notice to proceed on 12  September 2006 with an initial obligation of $4.33 million against the first L-3 CAARS task order.

“Utilizing dual-energy X-ray signals to automatically identify the presence of specific materials is not new to L-3. As the world leader in automated detection systems based on dual-energy X-ray discrimination, L-3 S&DS has successfully deployed well over 1,000 automatic explosives detection systems worldwide using technology similar to CAARS,” said Thomas Ripp, president of L-3 Security and Detection Systems. “Our experience in the development of high-energy cargo X-ray imaging systems, coupled with our automated dual-energy explosives detection systems, equips us with the expertise required to successfully design, develop, deploy, and logistically support CAARS.”.

As the project’s prime contractor, L-3 has total system performance responsibility for the DNDO contract. Industry leader Bio-Imaging Research (BIR), a supplier of high-energy cargo X-ray systems, will collaborate on the development of the prototype.  Ripp added, “The combination of L-3 and BIR provides DNDO with a uniquely and highly qualified development team.   L-3 has the financial, facility, and personnel resources, as well as the best available technology to successfully execute the entire CAARS program and ensure its long-term effectiveness.”