VFCT ANNOUNCES NEW EXPLOSIVES DETECTION TECHNOLOGY - INTERNATIONAL PROJECT TO AID HOMELAND SECURITY EFFORTS

Valley Forge Composite Technologies announce Explosives Detection Technology (EDS). This new system uses high-energy to penetrate all containers and barriers. Processing is automatic and estimated at three times faster than current machines. It can be programmed to identify explosives, narcotics, and fissile material.

King of Prussia, PA (PRWEB) October 29, 2003 -- Valley Forge Composite Technologies (VFCT) a technology transfer company, announces the launch of a high-priority homeland security project to develop next generation explosives detection systems (EDS).

In partnership with the P.N. Lebedev Physical Institute in Moscow, Russia, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, VFCT is developing an EDS capable of detecting contraband at the molecular level. Using a miniature high-energy accelerator, the system is able to penetrate all barriers, and is expected to yield unsurpassed detection rates.

The new technology uses micro bursts of gamma rays to detect and identify explosive substances, narcotics, and fissile material. When exposed to gamma radiation, these illegal substances produce a unique signature that allows the unit to detect the presence of these substances and to identify chemical composition and quantity.

This new EDS system -- designed to pinpoint the type of illegal material and estimate the quantity present in a closed container -- is expected to triple the rate at which baggage is screened, with resultant savings in automated operation, increased accuracy, and lower energy consumption.

The EDS is being developed under the aegis of the Initiatives for Proliferation Prevention program (IPP) at the U.S. Department of Energys National Nuclear Security Administration. The IPP program sponsors cost-sharing commercial partnerships between U.S. companies and former Soviet Union weapons institutes to develop technologies for peaceful purposes. VFCT is joining forces with a consortium of five Russian institutes led by the P.N. Lebedev Physical Institute in Moscow, and assisted in technology validation by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California.

The P.N. Lebedev Institute is the leader in the Russian Academy of Sciences in fundamental physics research, with world-recognized achievements in nuclear physics, astrophysics, laser, imaging and detection technologies.

Our partnership with the Department of Energy through the IPP program, the Lebedev Institute and Livermore Labs demonstrates the commitment and resources behind this project," stated Lou Brothers, President and CEO of VFCT. We have the solution for closing the gap in container and baggage security"

The need for improved screening of cargo coming into the U.S. was underscored last month when a container of depleted uranium passed through Customs undetected.

The VFCT EDS gamma ray-based technology is expected to surpass existing technologies, such as nuclear magnetic resonance and X-ray detection, with its ability to identify the type and quantity of explosives through all barriers. The systems projected high processing speeds -- with an estimated capability of screening one checked airport bag every two seconds, scanning a 20-foot cargo container every 20 seconds, or a 40 foot container in less than one minute -- will result in faster, more accurate, and cost-effective screening at airports and cargo ports across the country.

VFCT has secured exclusive rights agreements to emerging technology in the EDS field. Initial offerings will include two types of detection systems: one dedicated to screening container shipments/trucks and one for screening airport cargo/baggage. The EDS system can easily be converted for narcotics detection and border crossing applications. VFCTs first EDS manufacturing facility is expected to open next year.

As an IPP program partner, VFCT is a member of the U.S. Industry Coalition, a non-profit association of American companies engaged in nonproliferation projects with scientists and engineers in the former Soviet Union.

About VFCT
Valley Forge Composite Technologies, Inc. (VFCT) is a technology transfer and commercialization company based in Pennsylvania. VFCT develops and manufactures next-generation Explosives Detection Systems (EDS) designed to identify and quantify explosives, narcotics, and fissile materials in cargo and baggage.
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