"U.S. Security Briefs"

Wednesday, February 26, 2003

U.S. Security Briefs
Airport Security Report


* Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.), chairman of the U.S. House Aviation Subcommittee,
sent a Feb. 4 letter to Transportation Security Administration (TSA) chief
Adm. James Loy warning that airport security checkpoints have not been
improved enough to stop explosives from getting on passenger aircraft. As
the TSA's attention this year has moved towards improving air cargo
security, Mica said recent history shows that terrorist activity is much
more interested in the spectacle of an explosion aboard (or caused by)
commercial aircraft. He referenced Richard Reid's attempt to light
explosives in his shoes aboard an American Airlines flight on Dec. 22, 2001.
He also cited the plot masterminded by Ramzi Yousef in 1995 to produce
liquid explosives designed to pass through metal detectors and explode them
on 11 U.S. air carriers in one day of terror.

* (Another incident not mentioned by Mica was the Sept. 25, 2002, discovery
of almost 100 grams of the explosive pentrite on a Moroccan passenger
aircraft during a routine search upon its arrival at Metz, France.
Bomb-sniffing dogs found the explosives hidden between two seats in the
passenger cabin, but no detonator was found. French officials have not
provided any additional information pertaining to how the explosives could
be detonated.)

Mica said that the TSA's highest priority this year should be improving the
screening of passengers and carry-on baggage and not cargo security.

"Indeed, with current technology at airports, there is nothing to prevent a
terrorist from strapping plastic explosives to his body and walking through
the metal detector and onto a plane," Mica said. "I believe it is absolutely
essential that TSA initiate a project to research, develop and install
devices at airports that will detect explosives, not merely metal, when
passengers walk through them. It seems ironic that we have undertaken
expensive measures to keep bombs out of checked baggage but have done little
to keep them out of the passenger cabin."

* The National Safe Skies Alliance (NSSA), a non-profit transportation
security testing organization, has embarked on a number of checked baggage
screening projects, including one to identify the baseline performance of
the latest government-certified explosives detection system (EDS).

Two VCT30 EDS machines produced by L-3 Communications have been installed in
the ticket lobby of Portland International Jetport (PWM) in Maine for
testing of the first "Argus" project EDS units designed for around 300
Category 2 and smaller airports. Built to be smaller, lighter and less
expensive than other certified EDS units in larger airports, the L-3 device
is about the same size as the InVision Technologies CTX2500.

The L-3 unit was also purposefully designed to be slower than its
counterparts so as to resolve potential explosives inquiries with one
machine because of the lack of space at smaller airports. The "Argus" unit
can only output bags after screening to the same side as the bag enters,
thus making it incompatible with baggage conveyor systems. After 90 days,
the project could be expanded to other airports or another "Argus" EDS unit
from a different manufacturer could replace the L-3 unit.

The second test project will focus on an in-line checked baggage system
incorporating two InVision CTX5500 machines at Blue Grass Airport (LEX) in
Lexington, Ky. The project will determine the baseline for in-line systems
at medium-sized operations without performing a lot of construction to
install equipment. Lexington will become a permanent NSSA test site with the
ability to replace equipment in order to test new machines. Additionally,
NSSA may expand the screening equipment at the lane to include secondary
screening equipment or add a unique test lane to the conveyor system in the
future. One machine used to reconcile alarmed baggage that NSSA is
negotiating to test is Yxlon's fully automatic XES system produced in
Germany. Yxlon has made significant inroads into German and Israeli airports
and is undergoing testing for certification at the Federal Aviation
Administration/Transportation Security Administration testing center in
Atlantic City, NJ.

Furthermore, screening methods will be tested starting this spring that
could impact security protocols. The TSA is due to examine the use of human
operators as one stage within a multi-layer baggage screening system.
Testing is scheduled to begin sometime this spring at San Francisco
International Airport (SFO). NSSA could perform similar testing at
Lexington.

In other projects, NSSA is preparing for its "Everest" project to test
computed tomography and related technologies at airport checkpoints to stop
explosives from gaining access to aircraft passenger cabins.

 Do you have an opinion about this story?
Share it with other readers in our CAA Discussion Forums

http://www.californiaaviation.org/dc/dcboard.php

*****************************************