Explosives Detection and Aviation Screening

Luggage is screened at an airport. Explosive threats are constantly evolving as adversaries develop new materials and delivery methods. The Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) is at the forefront of explosive detection and mitigation research and development, creating new approaches to help protect American citizens and infrastructure. S&T’s programs also provide a collaborative structure for addressing improvised explosive devices (IED) response and defeat capability gaps identified by federal, state and local bomb technicians.

S&T provides training resources, scientific evaluation, and new technology funding to officials responsible for countering homemade explosives threats, developing new characterization methods and acting as a trusted expert for the nation’s law enforcement communities. These operators detect and counter threats in a variety of environments, including public venues, transportation hubs and airports, where efforts include screening air cargo, people and their bags. We work with canine teams to develop training programs and training aids to assist in improving the team’s ability to detect explosive signatures in all environments.

Technical innovations from S&T can help officials identify more sophisticated explosive threats and be prepared to respond to emerging challenges.