By Calvin Biesecker
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) on Tuesday announced additional planned purchases and deployments of various screening technologies by the end of 2009 that will used at aviation security checkpoints at the nation’s airports.
TSA said it plans to purchase and deploy about 300 more Advanced Technology (AT) X-Ray machines used to screen carry-on bags and 80 more Passenger Imagers, which are used in secondary screening roles to capture a whole body image of a person to see if they are hiding weapons, explosives or contraband underneath their clothing. The agency also plans on deploying another 600 Bottled Liquid Scanners.
So far, TSA is only purchasing X-Ray AT machines from Britain’s Smiths Detection and from OSI Systems [OSIS]. The agency is planning to go through another round of vendor testing to possibly add machines from additional companies to its approved products list for X-Ray AT. An agency spokeswoman told Defense Daily on Tuesday that TSA hasn’t determined how many systems it will buy from each company.
For the Passenger Imagers, TSA for the most part has been acquiring L-3 Communications [LLL] active millimeter wave imagers but has an expanded pilot program using several backscatter X-Ray systems supplied by American Science and Engineering [ASEI]. The agency is also pilot testing a single backscatter body imager supplied by OSI Systems.
TSA hasn’t determined which additional body imagers it will acquire and from whom, the agency spokeswoman said.
For the Bottled Liquid Scanners TSA so far has acquired about 300 of the handheld devices, with ICx Technologies‘ [ICXT] Fido Paxpoint accounting for about two-thirds of the total, and Smiths Detection’s Sabre. TSA also hasn’t determined the purchase split between the two firms for the liquid scanners, the agency spokeswoman said.
If the checkpoint screening systems are acquired and deployed as planned, there will be 900 X-Ray AT machines and 120 Passenger Imagers at airports nationwide by the end of 2009. TSA will also have 900 Bottled Liquid Scanners by then as well.
“This major step up in technology coupled with our enhanced security training for our officers will elevate security across the board,” Kip Hawley, TSA administrator, said in a statement. “AT X-Ray and Passenger imaging technologies greatly enhance our ability to find small improvised explosive device components made of common items, which remain the greatest threat.”