Authentication of warhead and warhead components establishes the provenance of a warhead. This could require tagging or sealing solutions.
Authentication of warhead and warhead components establishes the provenance of a warhead. This could require tagging or sealing solutions. A group at the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) in Aldermaston has been investigating the technical issues associated with multilateral nuclear weapons arms control treaties. One of the companies that AWE consulted with was Encrypta Electronics, who integrate electronic tagging with security systems. The company?s patent is the use of a random number generator to create a four-digit seal number every time the unit is closed and to record the date and time of each closure and opening. The company uses this principle to create a number of re-usable electronic seals that are used around the world, particularly in the retail distribution chain.รฟ One of the seals, the Microseal, which has been considered in a study by AWE to determine a structured framework for assessing tamper indicating devices, is particularly popular with government agencies as it is very compact, around the same size as a packet of cigarettes. It also has a number of options for sealing such as electrical contacts and reed switches, making it adaptable, the manufacturers say.
What they say
Richard Johnson, a member of the AWE Threat Reduction Group?s Arms Control Research Team, said: ?AWE is increasing its links with academia and industry.รฟThe relationship with Encrypta is one example whereby AWE is assisted in its understanding of current commercial products and their uses and the business community is made aware of possible needs.? Mark Hayward, Encrypta?s Sales and Marketing Director, said: ?Most tagging companies are chasing the high volume disposable market that is driven by the need to make tags cheaper and cheaper.รฟEncrypta focuses on the value add sector of the market where quality, seal integrity and traceability are paramount.?
