Northrop Grumman announced July 10 that its Next Generation Automated Detection System for homeland defense applications has successfully completed a rigorous field test and is ready for the program’s next phase.
The NG-ADS technology is a competitor for the Department of Homeland Security’s upcoming BioWatch Gen-3 Phase II acquisition. The program seeks to deploy a nationwide network of fully autonomous bio-detectors in major metropolitan areas across the United States to provide early warning of a biological attack. DHS recently announced that a request for proposals will be issued later this year.
As a fully automated biological detection system, the NG-ADS continuously collects air samples, analyzes the samples for the presence of multiple biological pathogens, and automatically reports results to public health officials multiple times each day through a secure data network. More than 20,000 samples were collected and analyzed during the recent field test in a variety of indoor and outdoor locations in a major city in the United States.
“There are concerns that our nation won’t be ready to respond should a biological attack occur,” said Dave Tilles, director of Homeland Security programs at Northrop Grumman’s Electronic Systems sector. “Early warning provided by an automated detection system such as the NG-ADS will allow the nation’s public health and public safety officials to proactively manage the response to a biological event to reduce exposure and treat the affected population to minimize casualties.”
Since the successful field test, additional improvements have been made to the NG-ADS to enhance the system’s performance while reducing its life-cycle cost. The proven, life-saving capability of the NG-ADS draws upon Northrop Grumman’s decade long experience developing, testing, deploying, and operating bio-detection systems for the U.S. government and other customers.
