Private jets first test of nuke detectors

BALTIMORE, June 19 (UPI) -- The Department of Homeland Security says it plans to start testing whether radiation-detection equipment can find nuclear material hidden aboard private planes.

Vayl Oxford, head of the department's Domestic Nuclear Detection Office, said the testing would be conducted at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland.

But at least one security consultant says such precautionary measures are useless against terrorists. Randall Larsen, who directs a security consulting firm, said such airport scans would only prompt terrorists to detonate their nuclear devices in flight rather than on land.

"It's not the best return on investment for preventing a mushroom cloud over an American city," the security official said of the current scanning plan.

USA Today said related tests are being conducted to determine if the scanning equipment being used is ideal for finding hidden nuclear materials or if federal funding should be used on a different brand of scanners.