Transporation Security Administration (TSA) screened 904 million passengers, 2.5 billion carry-on items, and 500 million checked bags in 2024, and these numbers are expected to increase. Air cargo is also screened and transported on nearly all commercial flights, contributing a whopping 35 percent to global trade. Overall, air carrier revenue and airport businesses generate hundreds of billions of dollars of economic activity for the US every year.
“Air travel is high stakes when it comes to both safety and the economy,” said Screening at Speed Program Manager Dr John Fortune. “Disruptions can result in significant human and economic consequences. As security threats continue to evolve and become more difficult to detect, new systems and processes will need to more accurately and efficiently screen people and cargo to help TSA stay ahead of emerging threats.”
S&T’s BCP Program collaborates with government, industry, and academic partners to develop new technologies, processes, and training to meet changing detection and security requirements, while investing in their application elsewhere—including at our borders, ports-of-entry, and large-scale national security events. The Program does this by investing in solutions through four project areas: Air Cargo Screening, Checked Baggage Technology Development, Next Generation Explosives Trace Detection, and Screening at Speed.
The Air Cargo Screening Project is developing next-generation screening technologies designed to scan full-size cargo skids for explosives without having to open or unpack them. While these are being designed for TSA use, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has also indicated interest in using these cargo scanners for non-invasive screening of incoming cargo at our borders. With appropriate software and algorithm updates, these scanners can potentially be used for detecting fentanyl and other opioids to keep our streets safe as well.
Checked baggage technology development
Federal law requires that all checked bags be screened, leading to more than 1.5 million bags being screened every day.
S&T’s Checked Baggage Technology Development Project improves existing systems and infrastructure by developing technologies to detect threats more accurately and quickly, while also being cheaper to maintain. These technologies and tools take a second look at bags that tend to set off alarms, with the goal of reducing any false alerts that may take place. Once implemented in the field, they will significantly decrease the number of bags that TSA needs to manually inspect, increasing efficiency.
Next generation explosives trace detection
The Next Generation Explosives Trace Detection (NextGen ETD) Project provides Department of Homeland Security (DHS) staff in the field with state-of-the-art detection capabilities designed to detect trace explosive residues and resolve alarms from other aviation screening equipment.
“NextGen ETD systems identify explosive threats by swabbing explosive residues, conducting vapor detection via sniffing technologies, and identifying explosive vapor in vapor bouquets or through-barrier detection,” explained Next Generation ETD project manager, Dr Thoi Nguyen. “These technologies also minimize intrusive screening procedures and improve officer safety.”
The NextGen ETD team is also working with CBP partners to reconfigure capabilities for identification of synthetic opioids concealed inside packages, in order to better detect and prevent the flow of these drugs across the border.
Screening at speed
The screening at Speed Project develops and improves technologies at security checkpoints and also pursues transformative R&D focused on delivering the future of screening. This includes technologies like passenger self-service screening, shoe scanners, solutions for passengers with limited mobility, and distributed screening throughout the airport that reduces the need for a checkpoint.
“Screening at Speed is laying the groundwork for a longer-term vision of screening, by developing concepts and prototypes that allow passengers to clear security with minimal intervention from Transportation Security Officers (TSOs),” explained Dr Fortune. “We’re also developing advanced algorithms to improve detection and reduce false alarms.”
Screening at Speed technologies are already benefiting DHS missions. A mobile, truck-mounted X-ray screening system, similar to the carry-on equivalent at airports, allows DHS partners in the field to provide the same level of security all across the country and the globe. A handheld screening wand designed to screen passengers who cannot pause and pose in traditional systems, could also be used in facilities where screening needs to be done on the go or where the screening systems are less developed (e.g., at ports-of-entry and border crossings).
Delivering results to the American people
The BCP Program is making great strides this year towards readying innovations for operational use. In January, S&T demonstrated a shoe scanner that detects threats in footwear without passengers having to remove them at the 2025 Consumer Electronics Show. In March, pre-qualification testing and evaluation of next-generation air cargo skid scanners was completed. The Program also delivered two prototype explosive detections systems capable of detecting and identifying explosives through vials, bottles, and packages without opening them and, also gathered feedback and performance evaluations from travellers and TSOs for a self-service screening lane installed at the Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas.
While not all air security technology may be familiar to the average traveller, S&T is committed to evolving all aspects of screening, playing a vital role in keeping the American people, economy, and infrastructure safe.
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