The National Nuclear Security Administration will conduct low-altitude helicopter flights July 9-11 over Milwaukee, Wis., to detect radiation threats during the Republican National Convention, the agency said in a press release.
The Nuclear Energy Support Team’s (NEST) aircraft, a twin-engine Bell-412 with radiation sensing technology, will scan for background radiation by flying in a grid pattern 150 feet in the air.
The National Nuclear Security Administration’s aerial measuring system aims to frequently support preventative radiation missions in preparation for high-profile events, including the Superbowl, political party conventions, and the presidential inauguration.
NEST is part of the Office of Counterterrorism and Counterproliferation, which aims to provide early threat indications, inform of nuclear materials globally, and prevent adversaries from obtaining and detonating a nuclear device.
Editor’s note, July 10, 2024, 1:02 p.m Eastern time. The story was corrected to show that NEST prevents adversaries from obtaining and detonating a nuclear device.
