PINE BROOK, N.J., 22 March 2007. Smiths Detection, a provider of chemical and explosives trace detection and x-ray imaging systems, has received three contracts from the U.S. Air Force Civil Engineering Support Agency (AFCESA), valued at $4.5 million. Under the contracts, the company will provide HazMatIDs, portable chemical identifiers, and APD 2000s, chemical detection systems. The orders, which will be delivered in early 2007, represent one quarter of the Air Force's ongoing deployment to 260 bases worldwide.

In response to the recent funding made available through the USAF Emergency Response Program, the Air Force has deployed these systems to their Civil Engineering Readiness and Fire teams, who will use the equipment to identify toxic industrial chemicals (TICs), toxic industrial materials (TIMs), and other unknown liquid, solid or vapor threats, in seconds.

"AFCESA's addition of the HazMatID and APD2000 brings a whole new level of chemical detection capabilities to Air Force Emergency Responders," says Mark Laustra, vice president and general manager, Smiths Detection's Homeland Security. "We have worked closely with the Air Force on the initial implementations."

The HazMatID portable chemical identifier is used to distinguish between thousands of unknown or suspicious materials. Requiring no sample preparation by the operator, the system identifies a substance or compound in seconds using infrared technology.

The APD 2000 is a handheld chemical agent detector used by military and civil emergency responders to detect and identify chemical warfare agents and other hazardous compounds. In addition, the APD 2000 also includes gamma radiation detection and remote communication capabilities.