Security Shortlines

Air Safety Week, March 31, 2008

Pistol Packing Pilot

A US Airways pilot, who is a member of the Federal Flight Deck Officer (FFDO) program, accidentally discharged his firearm while airborne Mar. 22. US Airways Flight 1536, an Airbus A319, flying between Denver and Charlotte, landed safely.The pilot was removed from flight duty after he accidentally discharged his handgun in the cockpit during the flight. The shot was fired as the plane was at 8,000 feet on approach to Charlotte. The bullet penetrated the fuselage, but did not damage any crucial instruments or wiring. The incident was the first case of an accidental firing. The pilot has been taken suspended from the federal firearms program while the incident is under investigation, the TSA said. The captain of Flight 1536 from Denver fired the shot as he was stowing his weapon. "The Transportation Security Administration and the Federal Air Marshals Service take this matter seriously and an investigation is underway. The pilot was authorized to be in possession of the weapon and he had completed the appropriate training. The pilot last requalified last November.

Concrete Busting Technology

Raytheon has developed and demonstrated a rapid concrete breaking technology to advance capabilities for urban search and rescue teams in disaster situations. The Controlled Impact Rescue Tool, or CIRT, uses shock waves to pulverize concrete, which enables rescue workers to remove the material more quickly than using existing techniques. "This revolutionary approach decreases by 50 percent the time it takes to reach a victim trapped by concrete, increasing the probability of a successful rescue," said Guy DuBois, vice president of Raytheon's Operational Technologies and Solutions business. Developed under the rapid technology application program of the Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate, the rapid breaching technology meets the need for increased speed in breaching concrete walls and barriers.

Raytheon demonstrated the CIRT prototype to DHS, Federal Emergency Management Agency and urban search and rescue officials recently. During the demonstration the CIRT smashed through concrete in 13 minutes, while conventional methods took 29 minutes or more.

Detecting Radioactive Materials in Real Time and at High Speeds

Textron Defense Systems says the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has designated its Adaptable Radiation Area Monitor (ARAM) as a qualified anti-terrorism device. ARAM is a state-of-the-art spectroscopic monitoring system which operates in fixed locations or within vehicles or backpacks, detecting and identifying radioactive materials as well as medical and industrial isotopes that may be used to make dirty bombs or radiological weapons. ARAM can be deployed as the ARAM Spectroscopic Portal, ARAM RadTruck, ARAM RadBoat and ARAM RadPack, giving customers several solutions that can be used as standalone radiation monitors or easily networked in a comprehensive security program on land and at sea. In addition, ARAM has the ability to accurately detect and identify minute quantities of radioactive materials in real time, even while moving at speeds as fast as 50 miles per hour.

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