New high-tech bomb disposal robots will provide greater protection for soldiers and the public in a new deal for the British Army announced today. 

50 of the T4 bomb disposal robots will be able to be used in situations of bomb and hazardous material disposal, helping the explosives team who attend thousands of call outs every year, all over the country. This will greatly reduce the risk to service personnel and the public when neutralising bomb and chemical threats.

A £21 million contract with L3 Harris Technologies – based in Tewkesbury - will deliver with the first T4 units before the end of 2024.

Adept at navigating narrow urban spaces, with its tough all terrain treads and adjustable manipulation arm, the T4 can operate in narrow aisles of planes, trains and buses and can even climb stairs.

Advanced controls, high-definition cameras and lightning-fast datalinks will enable the operator of the T4 to perform complex tasks like unzipping bags and opening glove boxes from a safe distance.   

We are ensuring that our Armed Forces have the best kit available, and we have recently announced plans to spend 2.5% of GDP on defence by 2030 – meaning an additional £75 billion spent over the next six years

Minister for Defence Procurement, James Cartlidge said:  

Procuring this high tech robot means that we can provide our forces with the tools they need to safely handle a range explosive threats.

Rapidly delivering uncrewed systems, like the T4, that ensure our armed forces can safely face future threats is a key part of our Drone Defence Strategy.

Weighing in at just over 100kg, the T4s are significantly smaller and nimbler than their bigger brother – the 300kg T7 UGV –­­ and will be used as the rapid response system for emergency situations as its compact size means it can be transported in a standard 4x4 vehicle.

However, both models use ‘advanced haptic feedback’ which allow operators to ‘feel’ their way through the intricate process of disarming devices from a safe distance, reducing the risk to life of the explosive ordnance operators.

The systems, which underwent rigorous testing, have been contracted by Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S), the procurement arm of the UK MOD and include an initial three years of in-service maintenance and repair support.

Major General Lizzie Faithfull-Davies, Director Land Equipment at DE&S, said:

I’m incredibly proud of the project team at DE&S, who have worked with their industry partner to harness available cutting-edge technology and have identified a critical capability that can respond to hostile explosive threats and help in keeping the wider general public safe.

The T4’s will enter service with the 29 EOD & Search Group and the Diving Threat and Exploitation Group, Royal Gibraltar Regiment (RG) and Cyprus Operational Support Unit (COSU).

Ed Zoiss, President, Space and Airborne Systems, L3Harris, said:

The T4 EOD robots are the world’s most capable robot for operations in crowded and difficult environments like subways, airports and even hospitals.

These highly advanced, durable robots provide best-in-class mobility and uncompromised performance to protect human lives.

We’re honoured to continue working with the U.K. Ministry of Defence as they provide this technology to the British Army.

A little delayed due to Convergence Canada, and a ghost in our website, but it is finally here. Head over to the magazine section of the site to find articles/interviews with Jeffrey Lewis, David DiGregorio, Ian Pleet, Jeffrey Bigongiari, Rob Chilcott, and many more. We also have DOUBLE RADIOACTIVE CBAX! Christina Baxter's 'good twin' goes on a mission to educate you on radiological detectors, but also to revisit the Litvinenko case.

If you can't access the latest issue it may be because your account has expired, or you forgot to sign up! You can create an account in a couple of minutes by clicking register on the homepage. 

If you are looking for more than just the magazine you can sign up for one of our higher tier accounts, Silver will get you access to the magazine and archive, as well as the product directory. Gold will get you the entire back catalogue of CBRNe Convergence presentations also! Head over and take a look. 

Avon Protection has won the tender for the continued supply of the General Service Respirator (“GSR”) and associated in service support for the UK Ministry of Defence (“MoD”).

Avon has been supplying the MoD with GSR masks since 2018 and this new contract award will enable Avon to continue to help protect the lives of people serving in the UK Armed Forces, sustaining the UK’s domestic CBRN protection production capability.

The contract, over four years, with five further 12-month option periods is valued at up to £38 million.

Jos Sclater, Chief Executive Officer at Avon Protection plc, commented:

"We are very proud to have won this competitive tender with the UK MoD and to continue supporting the UK’s objectives of providing the highest quality, most reliable and trusted protection equipment for the UK’s service men and women. As we have seen with the reported deployment of chemical agents in Ukraine and in other recent conflicts, the highest grade CBRN protection is critical to operational capability for warfighters in the evolving reality of near-peer, hybrid warfare.
This award is strategically important for Avon. It demonstrates our continued technological leadership in CBRN respiratory protection and provides a strong foundation for our UK business over the medium and long term. We look forward to continuing to provide the UK with a world-leading sovereign capability in CBRN protection from our facility in Melksham and developing new technologies which will provide unparalleled protection for those who defend our nation.”

Richard Bloomfield, Head of Electronic Warfare and CBRN at MoD Defence Equipment and Support, commented:

“We welcome the award of this contract, which will ensure continued support of the respiratory protection available to our armed forces.
We have worked with Avon on supporting GSR for the past 6 years and look forward to continuing this relationship, offering high levels of protection to our troops across the world.”

A New Textile Technology for Chemical Defence Applications

Heathcoat Fabrics is proud to unveil its groundbreaking NeutraliZr™ fabric, a revolutionary material poised to transform military chemical defence applications. Developed in collaboration with Guild Associates Inc., NeutraliZr™ textile offers unparalleled capabilities in rapidly adsorbing and detoxifying chemical warfare agents.

NeutraliZr™ textile features zirconium hydroxide, renowned for its swift adsorption and detoxification properties. By immobilising zirconium hydroxide onto the textile with a unique dust-free, non-shedding formulation, Heathcoat has created a material capable of direct contact with contaminated surfaces, including unbroken skin, ensuring rapid adsorption of chemical agents.

One of the flagship applications of NeutraliZr™ technology is The Universal Decontamination Mitt (UDM), a versatile solution designed to meet immediate decontamination needs for both equipment and unbroken skin. Crafted entirely from NeutraliZr™ textile, the UDM has demonstrated exceptional efficacy in decontaminating surfaces of military items and unbroken skin exposed to chemical warfare agents and their simulants. In rigorous testing, the UDM achieved over 90% decontamination efficacy on porcine skin, representing unbroken human skin, and removed over 99% of chemical agents and simulants from contaminated items.

Building on this success, Heathcoat Fabrics, in collaboration with Guild Associates, has developed a PFAS-free CBRN suit for the US military’s Uniform Integrated Protective Ensemble (UIPE) Programme. This next-generation suit offers enhanced chemical protection and detoxification functionality, including VX, GB, and HD agents, as well as aerosol protection. With improved comfort, reduced thermal burden, and increased breathability, the PFAS-free CBRN suit sets a new standard for lightweight CBRN protection.

“We are thrilled to introduce NeutraliZr™ technology, a game-changer in military chemical defence,” said John Stimpson, Business Manager for Woven Fabrics at Heathcoat Fabrics. “Our collaboration with Guild Associates has resulted in innovative solutions that address critical needs for rapid decontamination and enhanced protection. We look forward to continuing to push the boundaries of textile technology to safeguard military and first response personnel.”

NeutraliZr™ textile and The Universal Decontamination Mitt are now commercially available, offering military and defence organisations access to cutting-edge solutions for chemical defence.

For more information about NeutraliZr™ technology and Heathcoat Fabrics’ extensive range of innovative textile solutions, please contact 

The Secretariat of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has been monitoring the situation on the territory of Ukraine since the start of the war in February 2022 in relation to allegations of use of toxic chemicals as weapons. 

Both the Russian Federation and Ukraine have accused one another and reported allegations of use of chemical weapons to the Organisation. 

A compendium of all official correspondence by States Parties on such allegations and accusations has been made available on the OPCW public website and is regularly updated. 

The information provided to the Organisation so far by both sides, together with the information available to the Secretariat, is insufficiently substantiated. 

Still, the situation remains volatile and extremely concerning regarding the possible re-emergence of use of toxic chemicals as weapons. 

The destruction of all declared chemical weapons stockpiles in the world was achieved in July 2023 under strict verification of the OPCW Secretariat. 

This does not mean that chemical weapons do not exist anymore. 

Under the Chemical Weapons Convention, any toxic chemical, used for its toxic properties with the purpose to cause harm or death is considered a chemical weapon. 

This includes the diversion of dual-use toxic chemicals produced worldwide by the chemical industry from their declared non-prohibited purposes. 

Additionally, under the Convention, States Parties have the obligation to declare all toxic chemical agents they hold for riot control purposes. 

It is against the Convention to use riot control agents at war on the battlefield. If used as a method of warfare, these agents are considered chemical weapons and, hence, are prohibited under the Convention. 

Moreover, under Article II, paragraph 7 of the Convention, a Riot Control Agent is defined as any chemical not listed in a Schedule, which can produce rapidly in humans sensory irritation or disabling effects which disappear within a short time following termination of exposure.  

Accordingly, any use, as a Riot Control Agent, of a toxic chemical belonging to one of the three Schedules listed in the Annex to the Convention on Chemicals would be contrary to the Convention.  

On 1 May, the United States of America announced that it had imposed new measures on the Russian Federation for its full-scale war and use of chemical weapons against Ukraine, including for its use of chloropicrin, a chemical belonging to Schedule 3 of the Convention, as well as riot control agents as a method of warfare. 

For its part, the Russian Federation has denied making use of such weapons.  

It is recalled that, to conduct any activities pertaining to allegations of use of toxic chemicals as weapons, the Secretariat of the OPCW would need to be formally seized of a request to conduct such activity by States Parties. 

So far, the Secretariat has not received any such request for action. 

We will continue to monitor the situation and maintain our readiness to deploy. 

We remain in contact with concerned States Parties and invite those that may have substantiated information to share it with the Secretariat. 

In the meantime, the OPCW will continue to provide support to Ukraine, upon its request, in the field of assistance and protection against chemical weapons under Article X of the Convention. 

In this framework, the Secretariat has been working on delivering training courses on emergency response, and the provision of protective, detection, and identification equipment, together with the relevant training. 

All 193 OPCW Member States, thus including the Russian Federation and Ukraine, have committed never to develop, produce, acquire, stockpile, transfer or use chemical weapons. 

States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention have declared that any use of chemical weapons is totally unacceptable and would violate the legal norms and standards of the international community. 

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is hosting the fully virtual 2024 Chemical Security Seminars on July 11 and 18, 2024, from 10 am-3 pm ET (7 am-noon PT). The Seminars are free to attend and open to the public.

The 2024 Seminars will feature important chemical security information for industry organizations, facility owners and operators, government officials, first responders, and law enforcement. Sessions will discuss and share the latest in chemical security best practices, including:

• Case studies of real-world scenarios, including drones and cyberattacks
• Transnational threats to the chemical industry
• “Wicked Problems”
• Updates on CISA’s ChemLock program
• Artificial intelligence
• And more!

The seminars are free, and you can register here 

Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency (NDMA), awarded Bertin Environics with a new significant seven-year framework contract for the acquisition of CBRN Squad Kits. These kits combine Bertin Technologies Group’s chemical detection expertise from Finland and radiation detection knowledge from France, addressing the benefits of the Bertin Technologies’ acquisition of Environics conducted at end of 2022. Bertin Environics won the contract through international tender phase.

“Together we are stronger, this award is a great example of the synergies we have gained. Combining the CBRN portfolio of the Bertin Group, we can provide the most comprehensive CBRN solution to our demanding customers” comments Head of Bertin Technologies’ CBRN Division Kirsi Hedman.

The customer specific CBRN Squad Kit includes ChemProX handheld chemical detectors with build in simulation and connectivity features and SaphyRad MS multiprobe radiation survey meters with αβγ probe. The detectors capabilities are supplemented with analogue detection papers and customer designed marking kit.

Central agencies in the execution of this procurement are the Norwegian Defence with underlying agencies and the Norwegian National Security Authority. Also other Norwegian civilian Agencies and Ministries with CBRN tasks will have possibility to enhance they CBRN capabilities within this framework contract.

Blackline Safety Corp, a global leader in connected safety technology, has announced the upgrade of their recent $2.7 million contract with a U.S. upstream energy company headquartered in Houston, Texas, by an additional $1.7 million.

As announced in February 2024, the customer purchased more than 800 G7c cloud-connected wearable safety devices, 40 EXO cloud-connected area monitors, and 75 G7 Docks.

During implementation, the customer requested a demo of Blackline’s real-time alert response. When the Blackline Safety representative pulled the SOS latch and a live Blackline agent answered in seconds, the company realized Blackline’s services such as two-way voice and real-time response would elevate their safety program and keep their workers safer than ever before.

“After just a short time with our devices, the customer upgraded our services for the full connected safety experience,” said Glen Silver, Blackline Safety’s Vice President of Sales for North America. “Our hardware is unique on the gas detection and lone worker safety tech market—only Blackline devices have the option for two-way voice and real-time monitoring capabilities.”

Blackline’s award-winning G7 personal gas detectors and EXO area gas monitors—built for extreme conditions, with location-enabled technology—provide layers of protection to ensure a critical lifeline during an emergency. With optional features such as SOS emergency latch, real-time monitoring, and two-way voice, the devices make sure workers have the confidence to do their jobs and get home safely at the end of their day.

“Nothing can replace a real voice responding when there’s an incident. When seconds and minutes can make the difference between life and death, real-time response and two-way voice let your workers know that someone is looking out for them and will stay with them until help arrives,” Silver added. “With Blackline at their side, workers are never alone and unprotected.”

The Blackline devices replaced a competitor’s products, which the company had used for 30 years.

V2X, Inc. has been awarded a total of $75 million in new and follow-on work to advance the next generation of threat detection and response to Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) hazards. This funding is a significant step forward in enhancing global security and operational readiness against evolving threats.

The first part of this funding, amounting to $50 million, is a five-year project that will position V2X as the lead systems integrator under the CBRN Support to Command and Control (CSC2) program. CSC2 is now the program of record for the integration of CBRN and force protection sensors, which provides integrated early warning of attacks, enhancing security and operational readiness at overseas locations.

In addition to the CSC2 contract, V2X is finalizing a $25 million award to modernize and re-architect the CBRN threat warning and notification application, and predictive hazard propagation tools for enhanced operational decision support. These cutting-edge applications are designed to leverage existing systems while adding additional capabilities in a single user-friendly interface. This initiative will play a critical role in harnessing and synthesizing the growing volume of data available to commanders, ensuring rapid and informed decision-making in complex scenarios.

"These awards not only exemplify our commitment to innovation in national defense but also positions V2X at the forefront of a crucial global security initiative that requires distinct operational expertise and an ability to integrate the right technologies for the right mission" said Corinne Minton-Package, Senior Vice President of Operational Technology and Engineering at V2X. "Our technology-driven and converged security solutions are set to significantly boost the efficacy and responsiveness of CBRN threat detection and mitigation on an international scale."

Both CBRN opportunities are pivotal in advancing the Department of Defense's vision for Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control (CJADC2). This vision seeks to connect sensors into a cohesive architecture that communicates across all branches of service, forming a unified network that enhances the collective operational capability of the U.S. military.

The projects underscore V2X's role as a critical integrator and developer of sophisticated systems that improve security and defense capabilities on a global scale. The company continues to be a leader in the development and deployment of operational solutions that address high consequence mission requirements.

About V2X
V2X builds smart solutions designed to integrate physical and digital infrastructure – by aligning people, actions, and outputs. Our lifecycle solutions improve security, streamline logistics, and enhance readiness.

The Company delivers a comprehensive suite of integrated solutions across the operations and logistics, aerospace, training, and technology markets to national security, defense, civilian and international clients. Our global team of approximately 16,000 employees brings innovation to every point in the mission lifecycle, from preparation to operations, to sustainment, as it tackles the most complex challenges with agility, grit, and dedication.

There is a current trend to try and provide respiratory protection to beard wearers, rather than have them clean shaven (and safe). The UK recently allowed beards to be worn with a respirator (in the teeth of scientific evidence) and now Canada has a hood to allow a degree of respiratory protection to the wearer. Hoods, like the M40 used to have, are not popular as it adds to the thermal burden, and are harder to get on in a hurry... that all said, DND is pretty chuffed with theirs, as the original press release states. 

"Shaved skin used to be the only way to get a good seal and adequate respiratory protection wearing a gas mask, but research trials on a new respirator, called the C5B, promise a “breath of fresh air” during training drills for Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members who have beards, long hair, headdresses or uniquely shaped faces... Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) worked with the Canadian Army’s directorate of joint CBRN defence (J CBRN), an industry partner, AirBoss Defense, and the Royal Military College of Canada, to develop and test the new respirator... The C5B is a hood-style accessory to the C5 respirator. A CAF member places the respirator against their face, pulls the hood back over their head, and then tucks the hood edges into their CBRN protective suit.

“The new concept is a clean chamber around your head,” explains Maj Christian Doucet, with J CBRN. The hood is tightened snug against the head and neck, helping to keep the chamber clean of tear gas. The fabric also has an aerosol filtration membrane similar to an N95 mask further providing an extra layer of protection.

The result is sufficient respiratory protection to complete the same training drills as members wearing other in-service respirator such as the C4 or C5, without tear gas getting in their eyes or nose... 

Having the option of the C5B during training isn’t just about religious accommodation. CAF members may also choose to train with it because of fit issues with other respirators, or to practice with a respirator that will work when they haven’t shaved.

The final user trial of the new respirator took place at CFB Esquimalt Damage Control School in November 2023. Instructors from the Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School trialled teaching the respirator drills with the C5B. The drills include putting on the respirator under the pressure of a time limit, drinking water while wearing the respirator, changing the canister on the respirator, and a field decontamination. Depending on the fit of the respirator, trial participants were up to 300 times better protected when wearing the C5B than if they wore the current in-service respirator.

Bodurtha explains that the protection level achieved by the C5B is sufficient for training purposes, and more research and development would be required to develop a respirator that meets the higher protection levels required for operational uses, while still accommodating beards, long hair, headdresses and uniquely shaped faces.

Bodurtha says the team working on the inclusive project wanted to tackle training because it would provide a benefit to the largest group of CAF members, most of whom are less likely to use a respirator in an operational setting, but still must pass CBRN basic training in a gas hut."

NOMADX Holdings LLC (“NOMADX Holdings”), a private company pioneering new technologies for biological and chemical detection, announced today that it has commenced operations to commercialize a portfolio of innovative products that will enable faster, more accurate portable testing in food, water, and air safety, as well as human healthcare, applications.

NOMADX Holdings, which is an acronym for Nano-Molecular Automated Diagnostics, was founded by Wilson Chatterji Ventures (“WCV”) and catalyzed through the asset purchase agreement of RamanID, Inc., founded by Ms. Reem Mahrat, earlier this year. The transaction was facilitated by law firm Foley & Lardner. WCV co-founder and life sciences and med-tech investor and expert, Anjan Chatterji, JD, MBA, LLM, will serve as Chief Executive Officer and Board Member of NOMADX. Chris Wilson, WCV partner and a 30-year senior partner of a multi-billion-dollar hedge fund, has been appointed Chairman of the NOMADX Board. Rounding out the NOMADX senior leadership team are a group of experienced industry executives who will operate from the company’s offices in New York City, New Delhi, India, and Boise, Idaho.

At the core of the NOMADX cartridge-enhanced SERS (Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering) platform is a patented surface coating that is applied to silicon chips using metallic nanoparticles. The novel technology significantly enhances the electromagnetic and chemical spectral scattering signal of molecules within a sample to create a multi-plex platform. Internal validation studies have demonstrated that these enhancements allow the detection and quantification of a wide range of analytes at single-molecule detection levels. Further studies have shown that the NOMADX platform is as fast and simple to use as an ATP-based test, with results that can exceed the sensitivity, specificity, and speed (1-2-minute results) of traditional PCR testing.

"We are pleased to announce the launch of NOMADX Holdings, the natural selection in the evolution of food safety and human healthcare. The COVID pandemic saw a dramatic rise in the use of testing and created a positive perception of its value in the public. Despite the rapid introduction of tests during this time, it was also clear that very little innovation has taken place in portable, rapid testing over the last 20 years. We also saw the potential for contamination and the testing industry pushed past its limits. This led us to look at ways to disrupt this market and to the founding of NOMADX Holdings,” said Chatterji. “NOMADX aims to commercialize a new generation of powerful detection systems that will enable anyone to perform accurate, rapid, and cost-effective environmental and biological testing. This is not just a step forward, it's the true allowance of natural selection to advance the evolution of much needed preemptive and offensive technologies and applied applications that enable a safer, healthier future for us all.”

The first commercial application of the NOMADX platform will enable on-site testing for the food safety and public water utilities industries. Foodborne illness, alone, is a preventable public health challenge and multi-billion-dollar burden. The World Health Organization (“WHO”) estimated in 2022 that 600 million – almost 1 in 10 people in the world – fall ill after eating contaminated food and 420,000 die every year, resulting in the loss of 33 million healthy life years. The WHO also estimates 1.7 billion people use a drinking water source contaminated with feces. Further, peer-reviewed studies have shown that approximately 80% of diseases and 50% of child deaths worldwide are related to poor water quality.

The NOMADX platform utilizes label- and label-free testing, on a portable proprietary device, and can detect trace amounts of contaminants, including, but not limited to Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli, PFAS, as well as clinical biomarkers, viruses, and other clinical applications using multi-plex technology on a single chip. With a minute or less of sample prep, rapid testing can be done at a very low cost on food, its packaging, and preparation surfaces, and can also be used for the automated detection of contaminants in water, air, and in vitro. The cartridge and sample, after testing, can be retained for confirmatory testing, as the NOMADX protocol is non-destructive to the sample. Further, spectral data are analyzed with the NOMADX data library and AI-based algorithm to produce results instantly for defined pathogen signatures, as well as those that have corollary signatures that have not yet been defined. The NOMADX platform pipeline will expand to include early detection in the field of oncology and rare diseases, as well as potential therapeutics for companion diagnostics.

For more information about NOMADX platform and the company’s early access program, please visit: www.nomadxholdings.com.