Signature Science, LLC has been awarded a contract from the Department of Defense (DOD) Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense (JPEO-CBRND) in support of the Multi-Phase Chemical Agent Detector (MPCAD) program. The Other Transaction Authority (OTA) award is valued at over $30 million, with execution reaching through mid-2022, the Austin, TX-based company announced February 12.
The MPCAD program objective is to develop a field-level capability to identify and confirm the presence of chemicals at very low levels in gas, liquid and solid phases of matter. Signature Science’s MPCAD solution, named PHOENIX, will use partner Rapiscan Systems’ Quadrupole Ion Trap Time-of-Flight mass spectrometer as its core technology, integrated with an on-board algorithm using an innovative machine-learning approach. PHOENIX will provide the ability to integrate threat agent datasets developed under previous JPEO-CBRND detection programs and to rapidly expand threat databases while optimizing selectivity and sensitivity with minimal false alarms and high confidence. Signature Science will be supported on the contract by partners Rapiscan Systems, Defense Architecture Systems, Inc., Eniwetok Group, LLC and L2 Defense, Inc.
Signature Science was recently a prime performer for the Aerosol Vapor Chemical Agent Detector (AVCAD), also part of the Next Generation Chemical Detector (NGCD) program.
“There is no more important task in the defense and national security market than empowering and protecting the warfighter,” said William Thompson, Signature Science president & CEO. “We are honored by the confidence and trust shown us by the JPEO-CBRND leadership and program staff, and are fully committed to program and mission success.”
Work under the contract is expected to be performed at Signature Science’s facilities in Charlottesville, Virginia and Arlington, Virginia.
Source: Signature Science
By Loren Blinde
February 13, 2019
