A COUNTY Durham scanner manufacturer has won a deal worth almost £5m that will help protect US cities from terror attacks.

Sedgefield-based Kromek has announced today that it has been selected by DARPA, an agency of the US Department of Defense, as the sole supplier of spectroscopic personal radiation detectors (D3S) in support of DARPA’s SIGMA programme for homeland security.

The programme with DARPA is to develop an advanced personal detection system for gamma and neutron radiation that can be combined with other such systems to form large networks that can provide information on radiation signatures over an extended area – and thereby detect anomalies in cities that could indicate an act of terrorism, such as a ‘dirty bomb’.

The initial order, worth £4.2m, is for D3S detectors and charging packs. Kromek has also announced an extension to an existing contract with DARPA, worth about £550,000.