$1.3 Billion Award Expands Airport Screening

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) recently announced awards for a combined total value of up to $1.3 billion for Computed Tomography (CT) scanners for deployment across TSA checkpoints starting in the Summer of 2023.

CT scanners checked baggage and are sized to fit the checkpoint environment.

Furthermore, these innovative CT scanners apply sophisticated algorithms and create 3-D rotatable images to help TSA operators detect prohibited items.

TSA officers can then view and rotate the image on three axes to analyze and identify any threat items that may be in a passenger’s carry-on baggage.

There are approximately 634 CT units currently installed in the U.S.

“These CT units represent sophisticated technology that helps our professional, dedicated, and highly skilled workforce detect new and evolving threats to improve aviation security,” said TSA Administrator David Pekoske in a press release on April 12, 2023.

“Deploying these units across our security checkpoints as expeditiously as possible will also improve checkpoint efficiency and the passenger experience.”

In the future, the TSA says the goal is to keep laptops and 3-1-1 liquids inside of the bag during checkpoint screening. Under current screening procedures for this technology, laptops are allowed to remain inside the bag for screening.