[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 137 (Tuesday, July 18, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36870-36871]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-17596]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Availability of Solicitation for Development of a High Speed
Computer Tomography Explosive Detection Device
AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration, DOT.
ACTION: Notice of Availability of Solicitation.
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SUMMARY: The FAA is authorized under Section 107 of the Aviation
Security Improvement Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-604) to award grants for the
implementation of technologies and procedures to counteract terrorist
acts against civil aviation. Further, Section 307 of the FAA
Reauthorization Act of 1994 (Public Law 103-305) permits the
Administrator to enter into cooperative agreements, on a cost sharing
basis, with Federal and non-Federal entities to conduct aviation
research, engineering and development, including the development of
prototypes and demonstration models. The FAA has criteria for
certification of Explosion Detection Systems (EDS) which call for the
equipment to detect, under realistic air carrier operating conditions,
the amounts, configurations and types of explosive materials likely to
be used to cause catastrophic damage to commercial aircraft. At
present, only one EDS device based on computer tomography (CT)
technology has been certified by the FAA. This project has as a goal
the development of alternative CT-based explosive detection systems to
foster competition in the EDS market. Greater competition should lead
to lower prices, greater innovation, and ultimately, greater safety for
the air traveler.
DATES: Requests for the solicitation must be received on or before July
25, 1995. The solicitation will open on July 7, 1995, and will close on
September 1, 1995. All applications responsive to the solicitation must
be received on or before September 1, 1995.
ADDRESSES: Inquiries regarding this matter should be directed to: CT
[[Page 36871]]
Proposals, Federal Aviation Administration Technical Center, Office of
Research and Technology Applications, Grants Officer, AAR-201, Building
270, Room B115, Atlantic City International Airport, NJ 08405.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Questions of a technical nature may be addressed to Mr. Ed Rao at (609)
485-6996. Questions related to grants and cooperative agreements may be
addressed to Ms. Kathleen Fazen at (609) 485-4431.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The potential of CT for detecting and identifying explosives
concealed in baggage and packages has long been recognized. CT images
are created by quantitatively determining the x-ray attenuation by
materials within a cross section and mapping these values in a
reconstruction matrix. The three dimensional image presented has many
views and a high resolution and can be maneuvered in real time. The
grant seeks to improve the performance of a CT based EDS device in
terms of high detection probabilities, high throughput rates, low false
alarm rate and a low unit cost.
The application should consist of a technical proposal covering the
methodology and technical approaches on the following life cycle
aspects of EDS prototype development:
a. Preliminary Design Phase,
b. Final Design Phase, and
c. Prototype Fabrication and Testing Phase.
The developed prototype explosives detection device will meet or
exceed specified detection and false alarm rates while achieving a high
throughput rate and low unit cost. The target throughput rate is 600-
700 bags per hour and the target unit cost is approximately $500,000
per deployable unit. The performance period for the grant is not to
exceed 24 months from the date of award. The certification criteria are
classified and require that the applicant's principal investigator have
a security clearance at the confidential level. Clearance information
should be addressed to: Ms. Karen Clark, ACT-008, FAA Technical Center,
Atlantic City International Airport, New Jersey 08405; telephone 609-
485-6692, and facsimile 609-485-5690.
A meeting open to all interested applicants will be held
approximately two weeks after the publication of this announcement, at
Building 315, FAA Technical Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey. A
special classified briefing on the certification criteria will also be
held at that time to release and clarify the classified data on the
project. The exact details of the date and time of these meetings will
be provided in the solicitation publication. The closing date for the
receipt of the grants proposals is September 1, 1995.
Additional requirements are identified in the solicitation:
Development of a High Speed Computer Tomography Explosive Detection
Device, Solicitation 95.3.
Specific selection criteria is set out in the solicitation.
Dated: July 12, 1995.
Andres Zellweger,
Director, Office of Aviation Research.
[FR Doc. 95-17596 Filed 7-17-95; 8:45 am]
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