Radiation detection meters support UK troops in the Gulf
by BIL Solutions

BNFL Instruments has won a contract to supply personal dosimeters that form part of a radiation detection kit designed to give UK land forces the ability to assess the risk of missions in a radioactive environment.

The dosimeters, manufactured by the BNFL Instruments’ partner company MGP Instruments (MGPI), weigh only 55 grams and are about the size of a credit card. They operate on a single battery for up to six months, with the capability to store and download the recorded dose measurements that can be stored on reader controllers also made by MGPI and supplied by BIL Instruments as part of the contract.

The primary purpose of the meters is to warn of any radiation hazard in the immediate area and to trigger deployment of the next level of detection and survey capability represented by larger surface monitors.

BNFL Instruments were awarded the contract by the Defence Procurement Agency acting on behalf of the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) following a detailed evaluation process. The contract forms part of the integrated suite of Tactical Radiation Monitoring Equipment known as TRaME, created in response to an urgent operational requirement from the MoD to equip troops with a radiation detection capability for rapid deployment in Iraq.

BNFL Instruments managed the sourcing and supply of all the elements of the TRaME package comprising personal dosimeters, surface monitors, identification equipment, reader controllers and a fully integrated logistics support programme to ensure on-going maintenance, supply of spares and replacement parts.

Colonel Andy Pedder Leader of the Integrated Project Team on behalf of the Defence Procurement Agency comments:

‘We have delivered a significant capability improvement to UK land forces in time for operations in Iraq within a very tight deadline. A close proactive relationship was established with BIL Instruments and the other companies involved in the TRaME project. We chose the right equipment to provide the capability needed and received the support we needed to get this into service rapidly’