Raytheon to build nuclear warning system for DHS

Raytheon Co. will develop new nuclear material warning technology for the Homeland Security Department under a multi-year contract that could be worth as much as $2.9 million.

The award calls for Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems to develop standoff warning against radiological materials (SWARM) technology to help spot and stop the illegal movement of nuclear material across United States land borders.

The first phase of the five-phase SWARM development program is an eight-month contract worth $764,000 managed by DHS' Domestic Nuclear Detection Office under the Exploratory Research in Nuclear Detection Technology Program.

The transportation of nuclear material into and within our borders is a serious threat to our nation's security, said Michael Del Checcolo, vice president of engineering at Raytheon IDS. "SWARM will develop a radiation detection and localization approach that uses multiple, mobile and highly distributed sensors. This approach will enable first responders to accurately evaluate a situation and take swift action in the event of a threat to our national security," he said in a news release Nov. 19.

In developing a reliable and affordable SWARM solution for DHS, Raytheon is teaming with Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico; Ortec, Oak Ridge, Tenn.; Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass.; and Boston University.

Raytheon Co., of Waltham, Mass., ranks No. 4 on Washington Technology's 2008 Top 100 list of the largest federal government prime contractors.