Challenges in Application and Evaluation of EDS Systems for Aviation Security

Abstract

History shows that in the vast majority of terrorist bomb attacks Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) in hold baggage were involved. One of the main goals of security measures on airports, which are essentially access control systems, is to sort out the single bag containing a threat from the flow of millions of regular innocent bags. The statistics alone make this a difficult job. Only a few of the manufacturers worldwide that develop automatic bulk explosives detection equipment and very few technologies dominate the market today.

For the user and national regulator, who have to select commercial detection technology to do the job in airports, it is not easy to select the ‘best’ solution. Hence, the large differences observed between hold baggage screening systems on different locations, despite the largely comparable regulations. This paper touches on some of the challenges in this field, more specifically bulk detection equipment evaluation and application.