Smiths Detection awarded 238 million US military contract option for advanced chemical agent detecto

SMITHS Detection, part of the global technology business Smiths Group, today announces a $23.8 million contract option exercise for its Military unit to supply the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) with lightweight detectors under its Joint Chemical Agent Detector (JCAD) programme, potentially the biggest of its kind in the world.

The M4 JCAD model is based on the Smiths Detection Lightweight Chemical Detector (LCD), widely adopted by military forces globally. The advanced chemical point detector has been developed to detect both chemical warfare agents and toxic industrial chemicals. It is smaller, lighter and also offers better detection capabilities than the systems currently in service.

Stephen Phipson, Group Managing Director of Smiths Detection, said: “This award underlines our position as a leader in chemical agent detection. JCAD is expected to become one of the most significant and largest chemical detection programmes in the world. It is a truly unique and sophisticated means of providing next generation technology to protect front line forces from a range of chemical threats.”

The award is the latest round of a Low Rate Initial Production contract won by Smiths Detection under Increment 1, the first phase of the JCAD programme.  The Full Rate Production decision by the DoD is anticipated within months with potential orders for up to 54,000 additional M4 JCAD units.

In September 2007, Smiths Detection was selected to participate in the first major stage of Increment 2 of the JCAD programme and supplied the DoD with multiple detectors for evaluation over the following year.  The long-term potential for the JCAD Increment 2 programme is for production of up to 120,000 units for the detector selected.

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

Smiths Detection has an outstanding record of producing advanced chemical detection units, deploying over 130,000 chemical detectors around the world including more than 41,000 GID-3 units supplied since 1998 to fulfil the DoD’s Automatic Chemical Agent Detector Alarm (ACADA) programme.