Explosives detectionReveal Imaging’s liquid explosive detector passes European test

Airline passengers could soon be allowed to carry liquids on board thanks to a new explosive detector by Reveal Imaging.

On Monday the company, a subsidiary of defense giant SAIC, announcedthat its dual-energy CT-800 scanner passed the stringent requirements set forth by the European Civil Aviation Conference in a laboratory setting.

The scanner is capable of screening 500 to 600 bags an hour and can detect liquid explosives kept in bags, saving passengers the hassle of having to remove them. The test proved the CT-800 met Europe’s Standard 2 requirements which require a device to detect the broadest range of liquid explosives. In addition, the device’s false positive rate was roughly three times below the mandated threshold.

Following the attempted 2006 bombing of an airliner using liquid explosives, airlines have prohibited travelers from carrying liquids. The European Union Commission hopes to end this ban by 2013 and is currently looking for technology that meets its regulations and standards for explosive detection. So far Reveal Imaging is the first company to pass the most technically challenging test.

In response to the test results, Alex Preston, the general manager of SAIC’s Security and Transportation Technology business unit, said, “Allowing liquids back into bags will substantially improve operational and economic efficiency for airports throughout Europe and provide greater convenience for the traveling public. We are pleased the European Commission established the necessary standards that will get us there. Passing the Type D test so convincingly with the proven high-throughput, low false alarm rate CT-800 platform, we believe will change the landscape of airport screening for years to come.”