News Summary

Raytheon Will Continue Deploying Airport Security Equipment For FAA

The FAA wants Raytheon to continue installing and integrating explosive detection equipment at U.S. airports.  The agency extended its contract with Raytheon by one-year which allows Raytheon to continue this work while concurrently leading a team that is bidding on the Transportation Security Administration's contract for future explosives-detection systems.

The Aviation and Transportation Security Act of 2001 mandates that the TSA have operational explosive detection systems in place at all 438 commercial airports in the U.S. by the end of this year.

Since 1996, Raytheon has installed 185 explosives detection machines and 630 explosives trace machines at 72 airports.

Raytheon is currently conducting site surveys at 22 major airports including Seattle, Chicago’s O'Hare, Boston, Orlando, Minneapolis and Louisville, and is deploying InVision’s CTX-9000 EDS at Jacksonville.  05-27-2002.

JAA Certifies Airbus High-Security Cockpit Doors  

The Joint Aviation Authority (JAA) has certified new secure cockpit doors for Airbus’ single-aisle airplanes.  The remaining aircraft in the Airbus product line will be certified by the JAA shortly, the airframer says, and it expects FAA certification for the door systems within the next few weeks.

The new cockpit door was designed to protect the flight crew from unauthorized entry while maintaining full compliance “with all current regulations, including the critical rapid decompression criteria,” said Alain Garcia, Airbus’ executive vice-president of engineering.  The design has a reinforced, bullet-proof door with reinforced attachments, an escape panel, electrical door latching, an aural and visual signal system in the cockpit, and an electronic entry pad located in the cabin – that can be overridden by a toggle control in the cockpit, if needed.

Airbus says it will offer door conversion kits to its customers for $23,000 (U.S.) for its single-aisle airplanes, and $29,000 (U.S.) for its widebodies. Installation downtime for its narrowbody airplanes can be 48 hours or less, Airbus believes.

Other Airbus Security Measures 

Starting in August,  Airbus will offer provisioning for a stand-alone video camera system outside the cockpit door that allows the pilots to monitor activity there.  This will be standard on all Airbus aircraft.  Airbus has also developed two possible solutions to ensure that the aircraft's transponder signal can't be interrupted by cockpit intruders.  And, to further improve communication between crew members, Airbus has found a way for flight attendants to alert other crew members, in case of an emergency or security incident, no matter where they are in the aircraft.  05-26-2002.

PerkinElmer Detection Systems EDS Close To FAA Certification

PerkinElmer says the FAA is close to certifying its Detection Systems Vivid CT30 explosive detection system (EDS).  The company says it expects to receive official certification next month.  L-3 Communications and InVision already have received FAA approval for their systems.

The VCT30 combines X-ray detection with computed tomography (CT) to provide security operators with clear, detailed views of possible explosives in checked baggage.  PerkinElmer says because the VCT30 requires minimum terminal space, it is an optimum system for small and mid-sized airports.

L-3 Communications and PerkinElmer entered into a contract last December, which, if approved, would have PerkinElmer sell its Detection Systems business to L-3.  05-25-2002.

TSA Selects Five Airports To Test Explosive Detection Technology

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has selected Norfolk,  Jacksonville, Dallas Love, Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Hagerstown Regional in Maryland, as airport sites to test explosive detection technologies.

Norfolk and Hagerstown will each test trace-explosive-detection systems (ETD); Jacksonville and Grand Rapids will test bulk-explosive-detection systems (EDS); and Dallas Love will test a half-and-half hybrid ETD and EDS system.

Explosive detection systems were mandated by last year’s Aviation and Transportation Security Act, which requires U.S. airports serving commercial passenger airlines to “… have sufficient explosive detection systems to screen all checked baggage no later than December 31, 2002.”  05-24-2002.

Virgin Atlantic To Install Goodrich Cockpit-Door Video Surveillance

Goodrich says that Virgin Atlantic will install its cockpit-door video surveillance system, becoming the first trans-Atlantic airline to take this step. This will also be Goodrich’s first video surveillance installation on a Boeing aircraft.  Virgin will install the system in its entire B-747-400 fleet, and in its new and existing A340s.

The system – which monitors the cockpit door entry and forward galley area – consists of color cockpit displays with an integrated video computer, video cameras and system controllers.  An infrared light source built into the video cameras allows video monitoring in 0.0-lux lighting conditions. The system can be expanded to passenger cabin monitoring through the use of an ARINC 600 video computer capable of up to 16 additional video and audio inputs, and four additional video outputs.  05-17-2002.

SAS Evaluating Biometrics To Reduce Airport Security Hassle

SAS says it will evaluate a new biometrics technology to simplify check-in and boarding procedures.  The airline will use smart cards that contain the traveler’s stored fingerprint information, which are read by scanner and compared to the passenger’s actual fingerprint, when pressed against a screen during check-in.

Initially, the airline will try tests with employees using an internal installation at SAS’s head office.  This will be followed with trials for a small group of customers at one of the major airports in Scandinavia. 

The Scandinavian IT Group, a subsidiary of the airline, and Sweden’s Precise Biometrics are partnering with SAS on this project.  05-13-2002.

New Passenger Body-Scan Training Tool Available 

Psion Teklogix, a provider of rugged mobile devices and wireless LANs, based in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, says it has teamed up with Clearwater, Florida-based Dynasys to improve passenger hand-screening with a new training and testing tool.

The Dynasys-designed tool, called Body-Scan, uses a hand-held metal detection wand, similar to those commonly used by security personnel, which can receive signals from radio frequency identification (RFID) transponders, or “tags,” hidden in training mannequins and luggage.

During training or testing, agents use the Body Scan device to locate all the hidden tags in various pieces of luggage and dummies, while experiencing the same audio/video feedback as when a regular metal detector is used. Instructors and managers are immediately provided a qualitative score of each each trainee's or agent's success during the exercise.  05-13-2002.

FAA To Distribute Aircraft Security Upgrade Funds  

The FAA has announced its plans to distribute $100 million that Congress appropriated for security enhancements to aircraft flight decks and cabins. Approximately $3 million will be distributed soon to 11 U.S. airlines under a pilot program to install video and other technology for use in the cabin and to implement emergency alerting systems that may be installed in the aircraft or carried by cabin crew members. 

The airlines that received grants under the pilot program and the amounts are: 

The FAA says it established the pilot program – that was open to any U.S. Part 121 air carrier – to find the most effective technologies that could be adopted by the greatest number of air carriers in a short time.

The remaining funds – approximately $97 million – will be given to air carriers to strengthen their flight deck doors once the FAA approves their designs.  The funding may be applied to locks and other barriers already installed, as well as to the permanent design changes that must be in place by April 2003. Each carrier will receive approximately $13,000 per aircraft, with the total not to exceed the actual costs.  (Some carriers have already complained that these upgrades will cost in excess of $50,000 per airplane.)

On Jan.15, 2002, the FAA published the requirements for new standards to protect cockpits from intrusion and small arms fire or fragmentation devices, such as grenades. The Aviation and Transportation Security Act authorized the FAA to issue that rule, which affects more than 6,000 airplanes.  05-04-2002.

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