New Trace Detection System Approved For U.K. Use

New security scanning equipment has been approved for use in the U.S. and the U.K. TSA said Monday that it was approving six models of the Morpho Detection HRX Series X-ray screening system product line to its Air Cargo Screening Qualified Technology List, while a trace detection system from the same company has been approved for use in the U.K.

HRX Scanner

Parent company Safran says the Morpho Detection HRX Series meets new federal screening requirements for air cargo, including the August 2010 mandate that 100 percent of cargo transported on passenger aircraft be screened to a degree consistent with security requirements for passengers’ checked bags.

The models added to the Qualified Technology List are the HRX 650, HRX 750, HRX 1000, HRX 1000 DV, HRX 1500 and HRX 1800. The company also makes smaller HRX 500 and HRX 550 units to provide X-ray screening for small parcels, though these models do not meet minimum size specifications for TSA qualification. The HRX models’ qualifications are part of TSA’s Certified Cargo Screening Program, an initiative to employ supply chain solutions to enable air cargo industry compliance with screening regulations.

Across the Atlantic, the United Kingdom Department for Transport (DfT) has approved the Itemiser DX trace detection system for use in U.K. transportation security applications. The U.K. approval  follows multiple U.S. TSA Itemiser DX purchases.

Itemiser

The Itemiser DX is a trace explosives detection device designed for use in checked baggage, passenger and cargo screening. It was presented to the DfT in January 2009 as the next generation ITMS (Ion Trace Mobility Spectrometer)-based trace detector, succeeding the Itemiser 3 that was approved for use by the DfT in 2002.

The company says the Itemiser DX is the first trace system to simultaneously detect positive and negative ions using a single detector, thereby helping to reduce operational cost by reducing the threat of mechanical failure that is commonplace in two-detector systems.

“U.K. approval of one of our latest security technology innovations is a significant milestone for Morpho Detection,” said Dennis Cooke, president and CEO, Morpho Detection, Inc. “Coupled with deployment of hundreds of Itemiser DXs by the U.S. TSA, today’s announcement shows the Itemiser DX is quickly becoming a global standard in trace detection.”

The desktop trace detector utilizes a new long-life positive ion dopant that detects a wide range of explosives, including homemade peroxide-based substances such as those used in recent attacks in London. Users can also create custom substance libraries.

In February 2010, Morpho Detection announced it signed a contract with TSA for several hundred Itemiser DX explosives trace detection devices as part of a competitive contracting process.

FMI: www.morphodetection.com, www.tsa.gov