1

Indian scientist's cigar box-sized bomb detector to play vital role in fight against terrorism in US

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-08-03/india/41032141_1_detection-kit-avinash-chander-indian-scientist

IANS Aug 3, 2013, 10.54AM IST Tags:

(A team of Indian scientists…)

WASHINGTON: It looks like a little pocket sized cigar box, but it packs a mighty punch in the fight against terrorism. And now this nifty explosive detection kit, developed by the India's Defence Research & Development Organization (DRDO), is all set to play its part in the US too.

Reny M Roy, the Indian scientist who developed this technology, said that the EDK kits have been successfully used in preventing several terrorists' attacks and even immediately detecting the type of explosive used in the event of a bomb blast.

The German Bakery blast is one of such instances, she pointed out.

"It is an analytical tool which can avert disaster. This little box can work as a pre-blast analytical tool and as a post-blast investigative tool," Roy said, adding that they have now also developed a pocket size use and dispose explosive detection kit.

Widely used in India by bomb detection squads and the armed forces since 2002, the handy kit would be manufactured and sold in the US and other parts of the world by Summerville, South Carolina-based Crowe and Company LLC under a technology transfer agreement,

2

"We are planning to introduce the EDK to the US Army and US homeland security forces and in other international markets after getting necessary approvals from the US regulatory institutions," said Fay Crowe, CEO and president of the company.

A few drops of four reagents contained in four vials can detect explosives based on TNT, RDX, dynamite, and black powder within minutes with no more than 3 to 5 milligrams of the suspected sample. It also does not require field calibration, power or peripheral devices.

Besides the wallet sized disposable kit for covert and military operations, it's also available in vanity sized field cases for law enforcement and bomb squads. And personnel can be trained in its use in just a couple of hours.

A team of Indian scientists led by DRDO director general, Avinash Chander, the chief architect of Agni series of ballistic missiles, was at hand for the global launch of the EDK at a function at the US Chamber of Commerce here Friday.

Chander was upbeat over first of DRDO developed products getting globalised with the transfer of Indian technology to the US which not long ago looked at the DRDO "as a very reluctant supplier".

DRDO is now talking to the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce (FICCI), which was instrumental in the launch of EDK in the US, for the roll out of 50 more DRDO-developed technologies for the international market under the DRDO-FICCI accelerated technology assessment commercialisation programme.

Significance of the launch of India developed edk in the US was also not lost on the audience made up of US defence bigwigs, including former US defence secretary William Cohen, who hoped that such technology transfer would soon become a two way street.

The launch of edk in the US was significant in more ways than one, said the Indian ambassador Nirupama Rao describing the transfer of technology developed in India to the US as "an important milestone in the process of evolution of India-US strategic partnership."

Describing this as a first DRDO product which is getting globalised, Avinash Chander, its Director General, said DRDO has identified 50 similar non-sensitive technologies for their global commercialisation in partnership with FICCI.

Terming it as an important milestone, he said this signifies a maturing of relationship between the two countries.

"EDK story demonstrates that the technology transfer between India and the US can (be) two way particularly with the innovative low cost products in both civil and defence segment finding many more opportunities, many more applications," Chander said.

"This is a small step, but without doubt a very significant step for both the countries. I am sure in the coming years we would have many more success stories sharing together," he said.

3

"It is a partnership between government, private sector companies and an industry association," said Didar Singh, FICCI Secretary General.

"I believe that industry associations such as ours can't merely be lobby groups. We have to actually get into development," he said.

Fay Crowe, president of Crowe and Company, which has established its manufacturing base in South Carolina said that the US Army, the Department of Homeland Security and other American law enforcement agencies are in the evaluation process.

"This kit has a much better field deployable position than other items. We have just signed an agreement with a US company to take the technology to South America. The technology would be presented to the Columbian Defense Ministry and to Panama and across the world," Crowe said.

It is India which holds the patent on the technology, and Crowe has paid an unspecified amount to commercialise it in the US and would also pay royalty on the EDK kits sold.

"Yes", she said when asked if Boston bombings could have been prevented if the technology was available in the US at that time.

"I believe that it could have been deployed in Boston and with proper training if the kits were in use...at large events, it would every easy to implement a posture where you can detect explosives," she said.

US grabs wallet-sized bomb detector created by Indian scientist Yashwant Raj, Hindustan Times http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/Americas/US-grabs-wallet-sized-bomb-detector-created-by-Indian-scientist/Article1-1102661.aspx When Reny Roy was assigned a project 15 years ago, she had no idea it would one day get a Washington DC debut as India's first defense technology transfer to the United States. The project headed by Roy, a scientist at DRDO's explosives lab in Pune, led to the creation of

Explosive Detection Kit (EDK), which makes it easy to detect all kinds of explosive, especially those used

by terrorists.

The kit was launched in Washington on Friday for production and sale in the US and o ther countries in

the region, by Crowe and Company, a South Carolina firm.

It is currently undergoing tests by US military and other security agencies but may soon be headed for

use by coalition forces in Afghanistan through a non-profit.

The EDK, as the kit is known to its creators and users, is inexpensive - but no one will talk about the

price; it's easy to carry and dispose and has no health risks.

4

"It feels great," said Roy after the launch with her boss SN Asthana, a man of few words, standing by her

side.

Roy got the project "around 1997" with a brief to develop something to stop terrorists. But it was not a

priority, not like DRDO's more glamorous Agni, Arjun and the LCA projects.

The Pune lab scientists got down to it and kept at it through many prototypes - some that worked, and

some that did not. Every stage was an improvement on the last one.

The kit comes in various forms - one that can fit in your child's lunch box, one that can go into your

husband's shirt pocket (or wife's purse) or something bigger and more substantial.

Based on principles of "colour chemistry", the kit uses reagents - chemical substances that trigger

chemical reactions - to detect explosive types by resulting colours.

A few drops or a blast of atomized reagents on suspected explosive material can within minutes confirm,

or deny, the presence of explosives - TNT, PETN, or RDX.

The kit is widely used in India, marketed by a company licensed by DRDO, which owns the patent, to

produce and market it, by law enforcement and other security agencies.

Investigators looking at the German Bakery blast of 2010 in Pune used the kit to immediately identify the

explosive used as RDX.

"The kit helps in the identification of explosives both pre and post blasts," said Asthana.

Fay Crowe, owner of the company now manufacturing the selling these kits in the US, said she believed

the kit could have prevented the Boston Marathon explosions.

5

US to manufacture, market DRDO's Explosive Detection Kit

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/us-to-manufacture-market-drdos-explosive-detection-

kit/1150714/0

PTI : Washington, Sat Aug 03 2013, 15:40 hrs

We are hoping that (technology transfer) would be a two way street," former US Defence Secretary William S Cohen said, adding that this is a very significant step. (AP)

TOP STORIES

In a first of its kind of reverse technology sharing between India and the US, an innovative Explosive

Detection Kit developed by Indian scientists would be manufactured in America and sold globally for quick

detection and identification of combinations of explosives.

The India-developed US-manufactured Explosive Detection Kit (EDK) was launched at the US Chamber of

Commerce building in Washington - a block away from the White House yesterday.

This was probably for the first time that technology developed by Defence Research & Development

Organisation (DRDO) was being manufactured and marketed in the US, officials and industry partners said.

6

"We are hoping that (technology transfer) would be a two way street," former US Defence Secretary

William S Cohen said, adding that this is a very significant step. He described it as a very "excellent

example" of reverse technology transfer.

Being commercialised as part of a programme called DRDO- FICCI Accelerated Technology Assessment

and Commercialisation (ATAC), the two sides have entered into a Licensing Agreement with a US based-

firm Crowe and Company of South Carolina for manufacturing the Kit.

Developed by a constituent DRDO laboratory, High Energy Material Research Laboratory in Pune, the EDK

is developed for quick detection and identification of explosives based on any combination of nitro-esters,

nitramines, trinitrotoluene, dynamite or black powder.

The test results can be obtained in two-three minutes in field conditions as well as in laboratory conditions

at ambient temperature. One of the salient features of the Kit is its ability to detect combinations of

explosives in IEDs.

Plastic explosives based on RDX fail to be detected by most electronic detectors, but EDK being a

chemical-based kit can efficiently detect plastic explosives.

The Kit is portable, cost effective and can be used in both pre-blast and post-blast scenarios even in

contaminated conditions. It is being used by bomb detection and disposal squads of the Army, paramilitary

forces and police in India.

"It marks an important milestone in the process of evolution of the India-US Strategic Partnership," Indian

Ambassador to the US Nirupama Rao said, adding that this reflects the next frontier in co-operation, which

would involve technology, innovation in the field of defence.

The event reflects the fact that the Indian defence research institutions have emerged world class, nation

building technologies and solution providers for many global problems, she added.

Describing this as a first DRDO product which is getting globalised, Avinash Chander, its Director General,

said DRDO has identified 50 similar non-sensitive technologies for their global commercialisation in

partnership with FICCI.

Terming it as an important milestone, he said this signifies a maturing of relationship between the two

countries.

7

"EDK story demonstrates that the technology transfer between India and the US can (be) two way

particularly with the innovative low cost products in both civil and defence segment finding many more

opportunities, many more applications," Chander said.

"This is a small step, but without doubt a very significant step for both the countries. I am sure in the coming

years we would have many more success stories sharing together," he said.

"It is a partnership between government, private sector companies and an industry association," said Didar

Singh, FICCI Secretary General.

"I believe that industry associations such as ours can't merely be lobby groups. We have to actually get into

development," he said.

Fay Crowe, president of Crowe and Company, which has established its manufacturing base in South

Carolina said that the US Army, the Department of Homeland Security and other American law

enforcement agencies are in the evaluation process.

"This kit has a much better field deployable position than other items. We have just signed an agreement

with a US company to take the technology to South America. The technology would be presented to the

Columbian Defense Ministry and to Panama and across the world," Crowe said.

It is India which holds the patent on the technology, and Crowe has paid an unspecified amount to

commercialise it in the US and would also pay royalty on the EDK kits sold.

"Yes", she said when asked if Boston bombings could have been prevented if the technology was available

in the US at that time.

"I believe that it could have been deployed in Boston and with proper training if the kits were in use...at

large events, it would every easy to implement a posture where you can detect explosives," she said.

Reny M Roy, the Indian scientist who developed this technology, said that the EDK kits have been

successfully used in preventing several terrorists' attacks and even immediately detecting the type of

explosive used in the event of a bomb blast.

The German Bakery blast is one of such instances, she pointed out.

"It is an analytical tool which can avert disaster. This little box can work as a pre-blast analytical tool and as

a post-blast investigative tool," Roy said, adding that they have now also developed a pocket size use and

dispose explosive detection kit.

8

US to manufacture, market DRDO’s Explosive Detection Kit

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/international/us-to-manufacture-market-drdos-explosive-detection-kit/article4985275.ece

Washington, Aug 3: In a first of its kind of reverse technology sharing between India and the US, an innovative Explosive Detection Kit developed by Indian scientists would be manufactured in America and sold globally for quick detection and identification of combinations of explosives.

The India-developed US-manufactured Explosive Detection Kit (EDK) was launched at the US Chamber of Commerce building in Washington — a block away from the White House yesterday.

This was probably for the first time that technology developed by Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) was being manufactured and marketed in the US, officials and industry partners said.

“We are hoping that (technology transfer) would be a two way street,” former US Defence Secretary William S Cohen said, adding that this is a very significant step. He described it as a very “excellent example” of reverse technology transfer.

Being commercialised as part of a programme called DRDO-FICCI Accelerated Technology Assessment and Commercialisation (ATAC), the two sides have entered into a Licensing Agreement with a US based-firm Crowe and Company of South Carolina for manufacturing the Kit.

Developed by a constituent DRDO laboratory, High Energy Material Research Laboratory in Pune, the EDK is developed for quick detection and identification of explosives based on any combination of nitro-esters, nitramines, trinitrotoluene, dynamite or black powder.

The test results can be obtained in two-three minutes in field conditions as well as in laboratory conditions at ambient temperature. One of the salient features of the Kit is its ability to detect combinations of explosives in IEDs.

Plastic explosives based on RDX fail to be detected by most electronic detectors, but EDK being a chemical-based kit can efficiently detect plastic explosives.

The Kit is portable, cost effective and can be used in both pre-blast and post-blast scenarios even in contaminated conditions. It is being used by bomb detection and disposal squads of the Army, paramilitary forces and police in India.

“It marks an important milestone in the process of evolution of the India-US Strategic Partnership,” Indian Ambassador to the US Nirupama Rao said, adding that this reflects the next frontier in co-operation, which would involve technology, innovation in the field of defence.

The event reflects the fact that the Indian defence research institutions have emerged world class, nation building technologies and solution providers for many global problems, she added

9

India's DRDO launches explosive detection kit in US

http://zeenews.india.com/news/nation/india-s-drdo-launches-explosive-detection-kit-in-us_866386.html

Last Updated: Saturday, August 03, 2013, 11:29 A- A A+ Tags: DRDO, Explosive detection kit, United States

Washington: It looks like a little pocket sized cigar box, but it packs a mighty punch in the fight against

terrorism. And now this nifty explosive detection kit, developed by the India's Defence Research &

Development Organization (DRDO), is all set to play its part in the US too.

Widely used in India by bomb detection squads and the armed forces since 2002, the handy kit would be

manufactured and sold in the US and other parts of the world by Summerville, South Carolina-based Crowe

and Company LLC under a technology transfer agreement.

"We are planning to introduce the EDK to the US Army and US homeland security forces and in other

international markets after getting necessary approvals from the US regulatory institutions," said Fay

Crowe, CEO and president of the company.

A few drops of four reagents contained in four vials can detect explosives based on TNT, RDX, dynamite,

and black powder within minutes with no more than 3 to 5 milligrams of the suspected sample. It also does

not require field calibration, power or peripheral devices.

Besides the wallet sized disposable kit for covert and military operations, it's also available in vanity sized

field cases for law enforcement and bomb squads. And personnel can be trained in its use in just a couple

of hours.

A team of Indian scientists led by DRDO Director General, Avinash Chander, the chief architect of Agni

series of ballistic missiles, was at hand for the global launch of the edk at a function at the US Chamber of

Commerce here Friday.

Chander was upbeat over first of DRDO developed products getting globalised with the transfer of Indian

technology to the US which not long ago looked at the DRDO "as a very reluctant supplier".

DRDO is now talking to the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce (FICCI), which was instrumental

in the launch of EDK in the US, for the roll out of 50 more DRDO-developed technologies for the

international market under the DRDO-FICCI Accelerated Technology Assessment Commercialisation

10

programme.

Significance of the launch of India developed edk in the US was also not lost on the audience made up of

US defence bigwigs, including former US defence secretary William Cohen, who hoped that such

technology transfer would soon become a two way street.

The launch of edk in the US was significant in more ways than one, said the Indian ambassador Nirupama

Rao describing the transfer of technology developed in India to the US as "an important milestone in the

process of evolution of India-US strategic partnership."

India launches explosive detection kit in US

http://gulfnews.com/news/world/india/india-launches-explosive-detection-kit-in-us-1.1216355

Washington: It looks like a pocket-sized cigar box, but it packs a mighty punch in the fight against terrorism. And now this nifty explosive detection kit, developed by India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation, is all set to play its part in the US too.

Widely used in India by bomb detection squads and the armed forces since 2002, the handy kit would be manufactured and sold in the US and other parts of the world by Summerville, South Carolina-based Crowe and Company LLC under a technology transfer agreement,

“We are planning to introduce the EDK to the US Army and US homeland security forces and in other international markets after getting necessary approvals from the US regulatory institutions,” said Fay Crowe, CEO and president of the company.

A few drops of four reagents contained in four vials can detect explosives based on TNT, RDX, dynamite, and black powder within minutes with no more than 3 to 5 milligrams of the suspected sample. It also does not require field calibration, power or peripheral devices.

Besides the wallet sized disposable kit for covert and military operations, it’s also available in smaller field cases for law enforcement and bomb squads. And personnel can be trained in its use in just a couple of hours.

A team of Indian scientists led by DRDO director general, Avinash Chander, the chief architect of the Agni series of ballistic missiles, was at hand for the global launch of the EDK at a function at the US Chamber of Commerce on Friday.

Chander was upbeat over the first DRDO developed products to be globalised with the transfer of Indian technology to the US which not long ago looked at the DRDO “as a very reluctant supplier”.

11

The DRDO is now talking to the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce (FICCI), which was instrumental in the launch of EDK in the US, for the roll out of 50 more DRDO-developed technologies for the international market under the DRDO-FICCI Accelerated Technology Assessment Commercialisation programme.

The significance of the launch of the India-developed EDK in the US was not lost on the audience, which was made up of US defence chiefs, including former US defence secretary William Cohen, who hoped that such technology transfer would soon become a two-way street.

The launch of EDK in the US was significant in more ways than one, said the Indian ambassador Nirupama Rao, who described the transfer of technology as “an important milestone in the process of evolution of India-US strategic partnership.”

India's DRDO launches explosive detection kit in US

http://www.theweekendleader.com/Headlines/1407/india's-drdo-launches-explosive-detection-kit-in-

us.html

07-Aug-2013

By Arun Kumar

Washington

Posted 03 Aug 2013

It looks like a little pocket sized cigar box, but it packs a mighty punch in the fight against terrorism. And

now this nifty explosive detection kit, developed by India's Defence Research & Development

Organization (DRDO), is all set to play its part in the US too.

Widely used in India by bomb detection squads and the armed forces since 2002, the handy kit would

be manufactured and sold in the US and other parts of the world by Summerville, South Carolina-based

Crowe and Company LLC under a technology transfer agreement,

"We are planning to introduce the EDK to the US Army and US homeland security forces and in other

international markets after getting necessary approvals from the US regulatory institutions," said Fay

Crowe, CEO and president of the company.

A few drops of four reagents contained in four vials can detect explosives based on TNT, RDX,

dynamite, and black powder within minutes with no more than 3 to 5 milligrams of the suspected

sample. It also does not require field calibration, power or peripheral devices.

Besides the wallet sized disposable kit for covert and military operations, it's also available in vanity

12

sized field cases for law enforcement and bomb squads. And personnel can be trained in its use in just

a couple of hours.

A team of Indian scientists led by DRDO Director General, Avinash Chander, the chief architect of Agni

series of ballistic missiles, was at hand for the global launch of the edk at a function at the US Chamber

of Commerce here Friday.

Chander was upbeat over first of DRDO developed products getting globalised with the transfer of

Indian technology to the US which not long ago looked at the DRDO "as a very reluctant supplier".

DRDO is now talking to the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce (FICCI), which was

instrumental in the launch of EDK in the US, for the roll out of 50 more DRDO-developed technologies

for the international market under the DRDO-FICCI Accelerated Technology Assessment

Commercialisation programme.

Significance of the launch of India developed edk in the US was also not lost on the audience made up

of US defence bigwigs, including former US defence secretary William Cohen, who hoped that such

technology transfer would soon become a two way street.

The launch of edk in the US was significant in more ways than one, said the Indian ambassador

Nirupama Rao describing the transfer of technology developed in India to the US as "an important

milestone in the process of evolution of India-US strategic partnership." - IANS

India Launches Explosive Detection Kit in USA August 5, 2013 National http://bestcurrentaffairs.com/w/2013/08/05/india-launches-explosive-detection-kit-in-usa/

An innovative Explosive Detection Kit widely used in India by bomb detection squads and the armed forces since 2002 developed by Indian scientists at DRDO would be manufactured in America and sold globally for quick detection and identification of combinations of explosives.

The India-developed US-manufactured Explosive Detection Kit (EDK) was launched at the US Chamber of Commerce building in Washington.

13

Explosive Detection Kit

This is for the first time that technology developed by Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) was being manufactured and marketed in the US.

It is a ”excellent example” of reverse technology transfer. Being commercialised as part of a programme called DRDO- FICCI Accelerated Technology

Assessment and Commercialisation (ATAC), the two sides have entered into a Licensing Agreement with a US based-firm Crowe and Company of South Carolina for manufacturing the Kit.

Developed by a constituent DRDO laboratory, High Energy Material Research Laboratory in Pune, the EDK is developed for quick detection and identification of explosives based on any combination of nitro-esters, nitramines, trinitrotoluene, dynamite or black powder.

The test results can be obtained in two-three minutes in field conditions as well as in laboratory conditions at ambient temperature.

One of the salient features of the Kit is its ability to detect combinations of explosives in IEDs. Plastic explosives based on RDX fail to be detected by most electronic detectors, but EDK being a

chemical-based kit can efficiently detect plastic explosives. The Kit is portable, cost effective and can be used in both pre-blast and post-blast scenarios

even in contaminated conditions. It is being used by bomb detection and disposal squads of the Army, paramilitary forces and police

in India. Avinash Chander, Director General, DRDO has identified 50 similar non-sensitive technologies

for their global commercialisation in partnership with FICCI.

India's DRDO launches explosive detection kit in US

Submitted by Jamie Williamson on Sat, 08/03/2013 - 04:34

http://www.topnews.in/usa/indias-drdo-launches-explosive-detection-kit-us-224742

14

Washington, Aug 3 - It looks like a little pocket sized cigar box, but it packs a

mighty punch in the fight against terrorism. And now this nifty explosive detection kit, developed by the

India's Defence Research & Development Organization (DRDO), is all set to play its part in the US too.

Widely used in India by bomb detection squads and the armed forces since 2002, the handy kit would be

manufactured and sold in the US and other parts of the world by Summerville, South Carolina-based Crowe

and Company LLC under a technology transfer agreement,

"We are planning to introduce the EDK to the US Army and US homeland security forces and in other

international markets after getting necessary approvals from the US regulatory institutions," said Fay

Crowe, CEO and president of the company.

A few drops of four reagents contained in four vials can detect explosives based on TNT, RDX, dynamite,

and black powder within minutes with no more than 3 to 5 milligrams of the suspected sample. It also does

not require field calibration, power or peripheral devices.

Besides the wallet sized disposable kit for covert and military operations, it's also available in vanity sized

field cases for law enforcement and bomb squads. And personnel can be trained in its use in just a couple

of hours.

A team of Indian scientists led by DRDO Director General, Avinash Chander, the chief architect of Agni

series of ballistic missiles, was at hand for the global launch of the edk at a function at the US Chamber of

Commerce here Friday.

Chander was upbeat over first of DRDO developed products getting globalised with the transfer of Indian

technology to the US which not long ago looked at the DRDO "as a very reluctant supplier".

DRDO is now talking to the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce (FICCI), which was instrumental

in the launch of EDK in the US, for the roll out of 50 more DRDO-developed technologies for the

international market under the DRDO-FICCI Accelerated Technology Assessment Commercialisation

programme.

15

Significance of the launch of India developed edk in the US was also not lost on the audience made up of

US defence bigwigs, including former US defence secretary William Cohen, who hoped that such

technology transfer would soon become a two way street.

The launch of edk in the US was significant in more ways than one, said the Indian ambassador Nirupama

Rao describing the transfer of technology developed in India to the US as "an important milestone in the

process of evolution of India-US strategic partnership." (IANS)

1. DRDO could sell its explosive detector in US

http://defenceforumindia.com/forum/defence-strategic-issues/53223-drdo-could-sell-explosive-detector-us.html WASHINGTON: It won't be a blow-out entry that will sweep America's famed military machine off its feet. But for an organization that was once sanctioned by Washington, derided by New Delhi's import lobby, and mocked even by frustrated swadeshi partisans, India's long-suffering military-technology outfit Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) is taking baby steps this week towards enhancing its reputation with the launch of an explosive detection kit (EDK) in the United States. The EDK is not exactly rocket science for which DRDO is better-known for through with its work on Agni and other nuclear-capable missiles. But it is a nifty bit of technology that could only have been devised in such a scaled down version by a country ravaged by terrorist attacks. It attracted a fair bit attention from a range of international terrorism experts and law-enforcement agencies, for both its price and its features, particularly after it won several awards, and served as an import substitution for more expensive technologies India was importing from the west. The kit can be used to instantly identify explosives that are typically used in bomb blasts. At the simplest level, samples from the crime scene are tested against chemicals in the kit, which then determines whether the explosive used is RDX, TNT, PETN or any other chemical. DRDO has also made a pocket-sized, use-and-discard version of the kit, which can be used by local law-enforcement agencies to determine quick results in cases such as the Boston marathon bombing and New York City's Times Square episode. According to DRDO, the kit can detect and identify explosives based on any combination of nitroesters, nitramines, trinitrotoluene (TNT), dynamite or black powder. The testing requires only 3 to 5 mg of suspected sample and only 3 or 4 drops of reagents. The kit, which costs less than $ 100, comes packed in a box the size of a vanity case and in miniature vials that can be kept in shirt pockets, and contains reagents capable of detecting explosives, even in extremely small trace quantities. Upscale western versions of such a kit costs hundreds, even thousands of dollars. In fact, it is precisely the growing number of terrorists attacks in the US and other western countries that appears to have persuaded DRDO to come out its swadeshi mode and pitch it in America with help from FICCI, the Indian industries' association. The duo will formally launch the kit on Friday at an event in the US Chamber of Commerce, not withstanding the incessant rant from the latter about India's protectionist policy and its alleged infringement of intellectual property rights.

16

''This event will commemorate the commercialization of EDK and should also emphasize the efforts of DRDO and their willingness to share Indian technologies with the United States to preserve and protect the lives of US servicemen and women," FICCI's Secretary General Dr Didar Singh said in a note on the launch, without a trace of irony. In fact, it was a US firm, Crowe and Company, which first entered into a licensing agreement with DRDO to manufacture and market the EDK, which was developed by High Energy Material Research Lab (HEMRL), Pune, one of the constituent laboratories of DRDO. Crowe & Company then approached FICCI for licensing agreement with DRDO for the said technology under the DRDO-FICCI Accelerated Technology Assessment Commercialization program that is starting to roll out various DRDO-developed technologies for the international market.

US grabs wallet-sized bomb detector created by DRDO Published August 3, 2013 | By admin

http://idrw.org/?p=25199

SOURCE: HINDUSTAN TIMES

When Reny Roy was assigned a project 15 years ago, she had no idea it would one day get a Washington DC debut as India’s first defense technology transfer to the United States.

The project headed by Roy, a scientist at DRDO’s explosives lab in Pune, led to the creation of Explosive Detection Kit (EDK), which makes it easy to detect all kinds of explosive, especially those used by terrorists.

The kit was launched in Washington on Friday for production and sale in the US and other countries in the region, by Crowe and Company, a South Carolina firm.

It is currently undergoing tests by US military and other security agencies but may soon be headed for use by coalition forces in Afghanistan through a non-profit.

The EDK, as the kit is known to its creators and users, is inexpensive – but no one will talk about the price; it’s easy to carry and dispose and has no health risks.

17

“It feels great,” said Roy after the launch with her boss SN Asthana, a man of few words, standing by her side.

Roy got the project “around 1997″ with a brief to develop something to stop terrorists. But it was not a priority, not like DRDO’s more glamorous Agni, Arjun and the LCA projects.

The Pune lab scientists got down to it and kept at it through many prototypes – some that worked, and some that did not. Every stage was an improvement on the last one.

The kit comes in various forms – one that can fit in your child’s lunch box, one that can go into your husband’s shirt pocket (or wife’s purse) or something bigger and more substantial.

Based on principles of “colour chemistry”, the kit uses reagents – chemical substances that trigger chemical reactions – to detect explosive types by resulting colours.

A few drops or a blast of atomized reagents on suspected explosive material can within minutes confirm, or deny, the presence of explosives – TNT, PETN, or RDX.

The kit is widely used in India, marketed by a company licensed by DRDO, which owns the patent, to produce and market it, by law enforcement and other security agencies.

Investigators looking at the German Bakery blast of 2010 in Pune used the kit to immediately identify the explosive used as RDX.

“The kit helps in the identification of explosives both pre and post blasts,” said Asthana.

Fay Crowe, owner of the company now manufacturing the selling these kits in the US, said she believed the kit could have prevented the Boston Marathon explosions.

DRDO launches explosive detection kit in US

http://post.jagran.com/drdo-launches-explosive-detection-kit-in-us-1375520897

Washington: It looks like a little pocket sized cigar box, but it packs a mighty punch in the fight against

terrorism. This nifty explosive detection kit, developed by the India's Defence Research & Development

Organization (DRDO), is now all set to play its part in US too.

03 Aug 2013, 02:38 PM

18

DRDO launches explosive detection kit in US

Widely used in India by bomb detection squads and the armed forces since 2002, the handy kit would be

manufactured and sold in US and other parts of the world by Summerville, South Carolina-based Crowe

and Company LLC under a technology transfer agreement.

"We are planning to introduce the EDK to US Army and US homeland security forces and in other

international markets after getting necessary approvals from the US regulatory institutions," said Fay

Crowe, CEO and president of the company.

A few drops of four reagents contained in four vials can detect explosives based on TNT, RDX, dynamite,

and black powder within minutes with no more than 3 to 5 milligrams of the suspected sample. It also does

not require field calibration, power or peripheral devices.

Besides the wallet sized disposable kit for covert and military operations, it's also available in vanity sized

field cases for law enforcement and bomb squads. Personnel can be trained to use it in just a couple of

hours.

A team of Indian scientists led by DRDO Director General, Avinash Chander, the chief architect of Agni

series of ballistic missiles, was at hand for the global launch of the EDK at a function at US Chamber of

Commerce in Washington on Friday.

Chander was upbeat over first of DRDO developed products getting globalised with the transfer of Indian

technology to US which not long ago looked at the DRDO "as a very reluctant supplier".

19

DRDO is now talking to the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce (FICCI), which was instrumental

in the launch of EDK in US, for the roll out of 50 more DRDO-developed technologies for the international

market under the DRDO-FICCI Accelerated Technology Assessment Commercialization programme.

Significance of the launch of India developed EDK in US was also not lost on the audience made up of US

defence bigwigs, including former US Defence Secretary William Cohen, who hoped that such technology

transfer would soon become a two way street.

The launch of EDK in US was significant in more ways than one, said the Indian ambassador Nirupama

Rao describing the transfer of technology developed in India to the US as "an important milestone in the

process of evolution of India-US strategic partnership."

(Agencies)

DRDO launches explosive detection kit in US

http://newindianexpress.com/world/DRDO-launches-explosive-detection-kit-in-US/2013/08/03/article1716117.ece

By Arun Kumar | IANS - WASHINGTON

03rd August 2013 10:08 AM

It looks like a little pocket sized cigar box, but it packs a mighty punch in the fight against terrorism. And now this nifty explosive detection kit, developed by the India's Defence Research & Development Organization (DRDO), is all set to play its part in the US too.

Widely used in India by bomb detection squads and the armed forces since 2002, the handy kit would be manufactured and sold in the US and other parts of the world by Summerville, South Carolina-based Crowe and Company LLC under a technology transfer agreement,

"We are planning to introduce the EDK to the US Army and US homeland security forces and in other international markets after getting necessary approvals from the US regulatory institutions," said Fay Crowe, CEO and president of the company.

A few drops of four reagents contained in four vials can detect explosives based on TNT, RDX, dynamite, and black powder within minutes with no more than 3 to 5 milligrams of the suspected sample. It also does not require field calibration, power or peripheral devices.

20

Besides the wallet sized disposable kit for covert and military operations, it's also available in vanity sized field cases for law enforcement and bomb squads. And personnel can be trained in its use in just a couple of hours.

A team of Indian scientists led by DRDO Director General, Avinash Chander, the chief architect of Agni series of ballistic missiles, was at hand for the global launch of the edk at a function at the US Chamber of Commerce here Friday.

Chander was upbeat over first of DRDO developed products getting globalised with the transfer of Indian technology to the US which not long ago looked at the DRDO "as a very reluctant supplier".

DRDO is now talking to the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce (FICCI), which was instrumental in the launch of EDK in the US, for the roll out of 50 more DRDO-developed technologies for the international market under the DRDO-FICCI Accelerated Technology Assessment Commercialisation programme.

Significance of the launch of India developed edk in the US was also not lost on the audience made up of US defence bigwigs, including former US defence secretary William Cohen, who hoped that such technology transfer would soon become a two way street.

The launch of edk in the US was significant in more ways than one, said the Indian ambassador Nirupama Rao describing the transfer of technology developed in India to the US as "an important milestone in the process of evolution of India-US strategic partnership."