COSMIC | CBRNE Detection in Containers

Original description

The threat of CBRNE (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosives) components used by terrorists is major concerns for EU and worldwide security. Today there is a major security gap in the existing security flow that can be used by terrorists to hide and smuggle CBRNE materials inside containers and vehicles. The challenge of improving container and vehicles border crossing and critical infrastructure entrance security checks is of great importance in fighting terrorist threats, theft and smuggling. Improvised Nuclear Device (IND) could be detonated using nuclear weapon components, modified nuclear weapons, or a self-made device and Radiological Dispersal Device (RDD) could be designed to disperse radioactive materials through an explosion (or ‘dirty bomb’).It was also reported that since 1998, in the US alone, there have been more than 1,300 reported incidents of lost, stolen, or abandoned devices containing sealed radioactive sources, an average of about 250 per year. Chemical and Biological are in use by terrorists. Report of Wm. Robert Johnston summarizes the “historical attacks using chemical or biological weapons” with 23 attacks since 1994, while all the recent attacks were done mainly by terrorists and the Syrian militants. The attacks demonstrating the attempts and capability of terrorists to acquire chemical and biological materials (chlorine, mustard, sarin, etc) and to prepare chemical or biological bombs. COSMIC system plans to bridge the major security gap for fast inspection of large number of containers and vehicles in sea port and in crossing borders for CBRNE materials. COSMIC’s technology can be adapted also to air containers.
COSMIC proposes a novel technological approach for the detection of CBRNE materials hidden in shipping containers. COSMIC project includes the research, design and implementation of a three stage (primary, secondary, focused manual inspection) detection system using new set of innovative sensors

Status

CLOSED

Url

https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/786945

Call topic

SEC-05-DRS-2016-2017

Update Date

27-10-2022