PINE BROOK, N.J., 1 March 2008. Smiths Detection, part of the global technology business Smiths Group, has received follow-on contracts from the United States Air Force Civil Engineer Support Agency (AFCESA), totalling $7.2 million for hazardous materials identification equipment.

The new contracts expand the original $4.5 million order placed in 2007. They position Smiths Detection's HazMatID and APD 2000 as key components in the continued technology upgrade of equipment available to Air Force Emergency Response teams across the world.

Stephen Phipson, Group Managing Director of Smiths Detection says: "This follow-on order is strong validation for our emergency response portable solutions that rapidly and reliably identify hazardous chemicals."

The USAF's Civil Engineering Readiness & Emergency Management teams will use the advanced detection equipment supplied by Smiths Detection primarily to identify Toxic Industrial Chemicals (TICs), Toxic Industrial Materials (TIMs), and other unknown threats whether liquids, solids, or vapors.