Maritime detection of radiological/nuclear threats with hybrid imaging system

Improved detection of weapons of mass destruction is one of the Science and Technology priorities of the Secretary of Defense for Fiscal Years 2013-2017. Unfortunately, the remote detection of special nuclear materials is difficult because the materials are not very radioactive, the radiation signatures decrease rapidly with distance, and faint sources of radiation can be obscured by naturally occurring and man-made radioactive sources. The Radiation Detection Section of the High Energy Space Environment Branch of the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory has developed the SuperMISTI stand-off detection system for maritime environments. The instrument was deployed at Norfolk Naval Station in July 2012 as part of the Manta technology demonstration to determine the on-water performance of the system. Detailed descriptions of the SuperMISTI system and its operation are given.