The U.S. State Department plans to award incumbent contractor IDEMIA a potential five-year contract to continue providing facial recognition software for biometric matching of all passport and visa applicants against fraud and security threats by comparing their biometrics to over 360 million legacy and watchlist biometrics. The incumbent contract expires in September. The State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs says that IDEMIA is the most accurate non-Russian or Chinese software based on the National Institute of Standards and Technology Face Recognition Vendor Test.

The Transportation Security Administration plans to award Leidos [LDOS] a contract to provide technical and engineering enhancements for retrofit upgrades to all fielded Reduced Size Explosive Detection Systems. The value of the pending award wasn’t disclosed.

Smiths Detection has opened its first customer experience center in the Asia Pacific region, a $1.5 million investment at its manufacturing facility in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. The 5,000 square foot space is designed to provide the company’s customers with an interactive and immersive environment to experience its suite of security solutions, offer consulting services, and provide training services to customers, partners and distributors.

Vision-Box is opening a new regional office in New Delhi, India, in a strategic expansion of the Portugal-based company’s global presence. Vision-Box says that airline passenger volume in India is forecast to grow 12 percent annually, putting the company in third worldwide by 2025. The company says its new office will accelerate the introduction of digital identity solutions and seamless travel technology in the smart travel and border control, smart government, and smart city areas.