Murtha, NABCO announce license agreement
Murtha, NABCO announce license agreement
U.S. Rep. John Murtha, in conjunction with NABCO, Inc. today announced the signing of a license agreement with Naval Surface Warfare Center for the development of a user friendly explosives containment device for use in conjunction with explosives detection equipment operated by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) at airports across America.
NABCO's newest option is the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) developed Threat Containment Unit (TCU). Originally designed by the U.S. Navy's Naval Surface Warfare Center for the FAA's Security Equipment Integrated Product Team, the TCU can safely contain the detonation of an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) contained in a piece of passenger carry-on or checked luggage.
Deployment of explosives detection equipment for screening passenger luggage at airports is expected to increase the number of unresolved threat bags that are encountered. The TCU will enable the TSA to place alarming bags in the unit which can be quickly removed from the checkpoint with minimal disruption to screening operations.
"This project will keep our airports open while saving the American economy millions of dollars per year," said Randy Markey, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for NABCO. "Aviation industry analysts estimate that it costs air carriers, vendors, and passengers a total of about $1 million dollars each time a terminal is evacuated at a major airport."
Currently there is a need for over 400 TCUs nationwide to deploy at least one TCU per airport. Over the next several years, this need could lead to significant increase in jobs for NABCO at their Washington County, PA headquarters.
"This agreement illustrates what can happen when organizations with similar goals discover they'll become more successful individually if they all work together," Murtha said. "These networks are an excellent device for local companies to demonstrate their skills in ways that can lead to repeat business and sustained growth."
A U.S. patent has been recently granted for the TCU design. A total of 33 TCUs have been already been delivered to the TSA for use at 30 airports across the country, including Atlanta, Miami, Sydney, Salt Lake City, and Denver.
"Nabco is very excited to add the TCU to our product line," said Markey. "We feel this technology will assist security professionals perform what is obviously a very dangerous job. We also are interested in integrating additional capabilities onto the TCU platform such as explosive, chemical, biological and radiological detection and decontamination capabilities which will allow the TCU to be utilized in both port and border security applications."
NABCO is a world leader in the design, development and manufacture of Total Explosives Containment Vessels. For over 20 years, airports, bomb squads, police departments, government agencies, defense departments, and mass transit systems have relied on the full range of NABCO explosives containment solutions. NABCO recently moved from Pittsburgh to their new offices in Canonsburg, PA.
http://www.house.gov/list/press/pa12_murtha/PRnabco.html