[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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