Arktis awarded funding for DARPA's SIGMA Programme
Arktis Radiation Detectors Ltd has announced that it has been awarded funding to carry out further work as part of a new contract by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) within DARPA's SIGMA Programme.
Above:
Arktis Portals bound for the Port of Antwerp starting their journey from the production facility.
The award comes after Arktis achieved DARPA’s ambitious performance goals. The company has announced that this contract will enable it to continue its steep trajectory and maintain development of its advanced range of detectors.
Arktis has already started to deploy the M1000 detectors which it has been developing for the SIGMA programme. The Port of Antwerp’s new container terminal – Europe’s biggest in terms of capacity – is currently being equipped with a multitude of Arktis’ Radiation Portal Monitors that already include cutting edge Sigma-enabled technology.
Rico Chandra, CEO of Arktis Radiation Detectors commented: “In the US, the UK and other countries, we expect to see large procurements for systems similar to the ones we are now fielding in Antwerp. I am proud that with DARPA’s support we have been able to get this significant new technology into the field in record time.”
The new M1000 detectors developed by Arktis, are highly sensitive, extremely cost effective and feature the company’s own proprietary technology that leverages the use of natural helium as opposed to the scarce and expensive He-3 isotope used in many legacy systems. The funding provided by DARPA under this new contract will accelerate the company's plan to develop new applications for the core detector modules and make them available to a more extensive range of customers. A key feature of the new detectors is their flexible, modular, design allowing them to be easily integrated into new and refurbished Radiation Portal Monitors and used for various types of mobile detection and identification platforms. The new detectors can also be easily sized for various unattended monitoring scenarios.
The additional funding comes on the back of more good news for Arktis. The company recently announced that it had opened a US subsidiary, Arktis Detection Systems, Inc., in Arlington, VA.