The OPCW has been visiting and reporting on the progress at the Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant (PCAPP), in pursuance with decision C-16/DEC.11 “Final Extended Deadline of 29 April 2012”. 

The latest report from the OPCW visit in April 2019 is available and can be read, in full, here. 

FLIR Systems, Inc. has announced the availability of multiple enhancements to its Griffin™ G510 portable GC-MS chemical detector to help responders analyze and identify drugs, chemical agents, and other toxic substances faster and more effectively during field operations. Major new features on the G510 give users access to an expanded onboard drug library, as well as a new quick-search capability for chemicals and hazardous substances.

To optimize response time, a new ‘Method Selector Wizard’ uses on-screen prompts to guide operators in selecting the best pre-installed method for sample analysis. The G510 then automatically analyzes and compares the sample for a match against one of its multiple built-in libraries, confirms and displays the results. On the hardware side, a new vehicle-mount accessory allows the G510 to be used for road and off-road missions.

“These upgrades are all about simplifying the job for responders so that in critical situations they have everything they need in the Griffin G510,” said Dennis Barket, vice president and general manager of FLIR’s Detection division. “The more easily and quickly experts in the field can identify chemical hazards, the faster operations can begin to manage and contain a threat. The overriding mission is to keep people safe.”

FLIR has supplemented the G510’s industry-standard NIST Mass Spectral Library and added the Scientific Working Group for the Analysis of Seized Drugs (SWGDRUG) library of more than 3,000 drugs and related compounds. The company also developed GRIFFINLIB, which offers users a condensed and customized set of the most common chemical warfare agents, toxic industrial chemicals, explosives, and other volatile organic compounds for more rapid identification with high confidence.

FLIR’s Griffin G510 is a portable gas chromatograph mass spectrometer (GC-MS) system widely used by domestic and international response teams to perform real-time chemical threat confirmation in the field. The G510 supports reconnaissance, emergency management, hazardous materials response, forensic investigation, environmental monitoring, and remediation missions worldwide.

The vehicle-mount accessory is now available for purchase, while the Method Selector, GRIFFINLIB, and SWGDRUG library upgrades are included free with new system purchases. Existing customers can contact FLIR for assistance with upgrades. To learn more about the FLIR Griffin G510 and these features, visit https://www.flir.com/products/griffin-g510/. 

Kromek (AIM: KMK), a worldwide supplier of detection technology focusing on the medical, security screening and nuclear markets, announces its final results for the year ended 30 April 2019.

Financial Highlights

• Revenue increased 23% to £14.5m (2017/18: £11.8m)
• Product sales accounted for 83% of total revenues (2017/18: 81%), representing a 25% increase in value
• Gross margin improved to 57.2% (2017/18: 56.4%)
• Adjusted EBITDA* increased fourfold to £2.0m (2017/18: £0.5m)
• Loss before tax for the year reduced to £1.3m (2017/18: £2.5m loss)
• Cash and cash equivalents at 30 April 2019 were £20.6m (30 April 2018: £9.5m), following a successful fundraising of £21.0m during the second half of the year

*Adjusted EBITDA defined as earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation, amortisation, other income and share-based payments. For a reconciliation, see the Financial Review below.

Operational Highlights

• Milestone year with growth driven by SPECT products in medical imaging and D3S platform in nuclear detection – and delivered key target of increasing adjusted EBITDA
• Increasing commercial traction across Kromek’s portfolio of product families with the award of high-value, multi-year contracts from commercial and large government customers worldwide giving greater visibility
• Successfully commenced operations from new high-volume manufacturing facility in US following relocation to purpose-built premises in Pittsburgh to cater for increased demand in medical imaging
• Fundraise in second half enables the Group to significantly expand future capacity and efficiencies in US and UK manufacturing
• 11 new patents were filed and 16 were granted during the year

Medical Imaging

• Awarded a significant contract, expected to be worth a minimum of $58.1m over a seven-year period, by an existing OEM customer to provide CZT detectors and associated advanced electronics to be used in state-of-the-art medical imaging systems
• New OEM customer in the nuclear medicine instrumentation market awarded a $700k contract to be delivered over 18 months
• Received repeat orders from customers in the Bone Mineral Densitometry and gamma detection markets
• Continued to advance towards full clinical validation of Kromek’s CZT-based SPECT detector system

Nuclear Detection

• D3S platform sold in 18 countries across Europe and Asia as well as in the US
• Awarded a $1.8m contract by DTRA for two-year project to develop ruggedised, small form-factor D3S platform for military use
• Awarded a $2.0m contract by DARPA to develop, over a 12-month period, a proof-of-concept device for a vehicle-mounted biological-threat identifier – Kromek’s first contract for biological threat detection
• Secured a new nuclear security OEM customer with a three-year contract worth at least $1.4m
• Won several new customers in the civil nuclear sector, including the Spanish Army, and added new distributors in Europe and Asia

Security Screening

• Awarded a two-year $1.5m contract by the US Department of Homeland Security to develop CZT detector modules for commercial off-the-shelf detectors for advanced X-ray systems for passenger baggage screening 
• Won a new five-year $7.8m contract from an existing OEM customer to provide customised detector modules for incorporation in baggage screening products
• Received a $2.7m order expansion under five-year security screening contract, increasing the total value to a minimum of $5.8m

Dr Arnab Basu, CEO of Kromek, said: “This was a milestone year for Kromek as we delivered on all of our objectives, including our key target of growing adjusted EBITDA. We made progress across our business segments as we continued to execute on previously-signed agreements as well as win new, multi-year contracts from commercial and large government customers worldwide. We significantly strengthened the foundations of our business with the successful relocation of our US operations to a new purpose-built facility, and raised £21m to enhance our UK and US manufacturing capabilities and to support expansion in our key growth areas of SPECT in medical imaging and our D3S products in nuclear detection.

“Looking ahead, we entered the 2019/20 fiscal year in a stronger position than ever before. With the increasing market adoption of customers' next-generation products that incorporate our radiation detection solutions, we are receiving increasing demand from existing customers as well as interest from potential customers – and we are well-placed to capitalise on these opportunities. The momentum of new contract wins has continued, providing us with greater visibility over revenue. As a result, we are confident of delivering growth for full year 2019/20, in line with market expectations, and continue to look to the future with confidence.”

Environics has launched their new handheld chemical detector, ChemProX, for detection and classification of CWA’s and TICs. It represents the next generation of chemical detectors, enabling full situational awareness during field operations. The device has been developed together with first responders with its technological foundation being based on 30 years of experience in chemical detection. It includes wireless connectivity and training capabilities as standard features, providing a broad experience within a single device.

As operators are not alone in the field, shared real-time location and detection information between the team members and the Command Centre can be crucial for a successful result. In addition to wireless connectivity capabilities the detector also has a built-in simulation mode, allowing the creation of various realistic training scenarios without endangering the users.

France has today warned Iran that a violation of its nuclear commitments to the 2015 nuclear deal, n response to pressure from the United States, would be a serious mistake and that France, Britain, and Germany were making it clear to Tehran that it was not in its interest to do so, AFP has reported. 

"French, German and British diplomacy is completely mobilized to make Iran understand that it would not be in its interest," Jean-Yves Le Drian told parliament amid reports that Iran was preparing to abandon its commitments.

The Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, Ali Shamkhani has said Iran will take new steps to reduce its commitments under its nuclear deal with world powers on July 7. 

Three diplomats told Reuters on Monday that the European powers had lodged a diplomatic demarche, the term for a formal note, on June 22, with two saying the communication aimed to warn Iran specifically against scaling back its commitments to the accord.

The CBRNe Protection symposium is aimed for engaged professionals within the CBRNe-protection field. As the world is constantly changing, this symposium is changing too. The CBRNe Protection Symposium, formerly known as the CBW Protection Symposium, has now grown to include the areas of protection against radiological, nuclear and explosive warfare agents along with the former chemical and biological warfare agents.

Defence Secretary Penny Mordaunt has announced that Professor Dame Angela McLean will be the MOD’s next Chief Scientific Adviser.

Professor Angela McLean said:

"This is an exciting time to be joining the Ministry of Defence, with so much important research going on to keep our armed forces at the forefront of innovation and technology."

"Britain’s military has a distinguished record in developing and using science and I plan to make sure that we continue to build on that tradition."

"I hope to use my skills and experience from the range of issues I’ve worked on to continue our world-leading reputation in science and technology."

Sir Patrick Vallance, Government Chief Scientific Adviser said:

"Congratulations to Professor Dame Angela McLean on her appointment as Chief Scientific Adviser to the MOD."

"She has had a distinguished scientific career to date and will be a significant asset to the department, bringing deep expertise and broad experience across science."

"I would like to extend a warm welcome from me and the network of Chief Scientific Advisers across government, and I look forward to working with her."

X-rays and gamma rays have a wide range of applications including scanning suspicious maritime shipping containers for illicit materials, industrial inspection of materials and processes, and medical diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. Current technologies, however, are not ideal. X-rays produce a continuum of energies that limit their inspection and diagnostic performance, and gamma rays can only be produced at specific energies unique to a given radioactive isotope.

New software developed by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) and licensed to Riskaware by Ploughshare Innovations will allow emergency responders and military commanders to respond more effectively to chemical and biological incidents and in turn, reduce the risk to the public and save lives.

Bavarian Nordic announced on June 19 the initiation of a pivotal Phase 3 trial of the freeze-dried formulation of MVA-BN smallpox vaccine in 1,110 healthy, vaccinia-naïve subjects. 

A train carrying munitions and hazardous material derailed in Elko County, Nevada, on June 19.

Nevada Highway Patrol said the derailment involved around nine flat cars, two tankers and three box cars, but the number that went off the tracks has not been confirmed. No injuries were reported at the time of the story going to press.

Rear cars thought to be carrying munitions, hand grenades, sodium nitrate and bombs stayed on the tracks, according to public safety officials in Elko. However, a white powdery substance was released into the air following the crash, leading to the temporary closure of I-80. The cloud was reported to be aluminum oxide, a skin irritant that is not hazardous but needs to be washed off if it comes in contact with skin, the Highway Patrol said.

Earlier Wednesday, an Elko County Sheriff's official said a decontamination process was underway as a precaution for those who may have been exposed.

"Preliminary information shows the derailed cars were not carrying hazmat; however, there is hazmat and ammunition on board the train," spokeswoman Kristen South said Wednesday afternoon. "No one was hurt, and Union Pacific is working on site cleanup.”

A timeline for completion was not known at the time, and the cause of the derailment is under investigation, she said.

OPEC Systems has announced it has signed a $23 million contract with Leidos Australia to support LAND 2110 Phase 1B of the Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear Defence (CBRND) Project.

The project, due to be rolled out between January and March 2020, involves the provision of four equipment streams:

• Kestrel’ medium weight protective CBRN ensembles;
• Collapsible waste water containment bunds in various sizes for capturing liquid contamination;
• Collapsible and helicopterable liquid storage drum for containment of potable and waste water; and
• Decontamination mitts for rapid chemical decontamination

Leidos was awarded the overall contract, valued at $243.5 million, with Australian Defence in September last year. OPEC Systems said it would partner with Leidos for up to 10 years on the deal with Defence’s Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group. 

“We are a proud Australian company and an experienced supplier of CBRN capability,” said OPEC Systems managing director Peter Murphy.

“This contract represents an exciting long-term program of CBRN enablement for our company, and an important opportunity to support Australian service men and women through the supply of superior CBRN protective equipment.

“The opportunity to work with defence primes like Leidos Australia illustrates the benefits of collaboration between a multinational and a smaller Australian company, and provides us with a valuable platform for representation on both the local and international stage.”

Christine Zeitz, chief executive for Leidos Australia, said, “Working with local industry is critical for Leidos to deliver our project commitments which support our customers to meet their mission.

“OPEC Systems has over 20 years of experience delivering CBRN equipment and services in Australia and joins us to deliver capability to the Australian Defence Force through the LAND 2110 project.”

OPEC Systems said it is "constantly working in the field on a variety of innovative chemical weapons and UXO remediation programs", with the hands-on experience providing "an intimate understanding of the war fighter’s challenges, and has allowed the development of practical CBRN protective solutions that meet changing needs as safety risks continue to evolve".

“For us, the cornerstone of this project is the supply of our Kestrel CBRN suits,” Murphy said.

“The two-piece Kestrel is the culmination of a five-year development program. This provides a raft of innovative improvements building on decades of CBRN experience. It’s something that we’re enormously proud of, particularly given our success in the face of stiff international competition.”