Indra To Develop Forensic Analysis Lab For Counter-IEDs

Indra has won a €4 million contract to develop new forensic analysis laboratories for Counter-Improvised Explosive Devices (C-IED) used in terrorist attacks.

The European Defense Agency (EDA) awarded project initially contemplates the design and supply of a first laboratory for €2.2M and an option to buy a second, which would raise the global contract amount of up to €4M, Indra said in a statement Monday.

The ultimate goal of these labs is to gather information on techniques, tactics and procedures used in terrorist attacks. Improvised Explosive Devices are the leading cause of death in international military operations.

The laboratory is comprised of 13 modular containers that may be configured differently, depending on a mission's requirements. They are prepared for on-site collecting of samples from CBRNe (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosives) attacks, performing biometric and chemical forensic analyses of traces found, including those of electronic devices that may have been used for their control and activation.

The laboratory is also capable of analyzing computer data and is equipped with an advanced data management system. This application will enable the comparison of an attack with previous incidents and will provide support for planning tasks, generating the corresponding reports and monitoring and traceability of the custody chain of evidence and samples.   

Indra is awarded this new contract with the EDA after the Agency had already entrusted it the development of the first C-IED laboratory, with which ISAF forces were successfully supported in Afghanistan, between August 2011 and 2014. During this period, the laboratory completed over 300 analyses monthly of devices, artifacts, materials and traces associated with attacks.

The experience accumulated in operations areas has permitted including many design improvements in the new laboratories, amongst which are worth mentioning greater capacities for the preliminary gathering of high-risk samples, documentary analysis and chemical and biometric analysis. Other aspects that have been given special attention are the laboratories' modularity, increasing their workspace while reducing their logistics footprint, thereby facilitating deployment and reducing operating costs.