Taking advantage of the longer than expected life-cycles of the Explosive Detection Systems (EDS) it has deployed the past decade, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will continue to focus on upgrading legacy systems rather than recapitalizing with new deployments, according to the official in charge of checked baggage technology for the agency.
As long as the existing machines are able to detect the required threats, budget constraints will “limit the number” of recapitalization projects in the coming years, Mario Wilson, director of the Check Baggage Technology Division and Program Manager for the Electronic Baggage Screening Program, said Nov. 4 at the annual Aviation Security Summit hosted by the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE).
At the end of October TSA issued a notice that beginning Jan. 2, 2015 it will close the testing window for new entrants into the EDS Qualified Products List (QPL) until further notice. Wilson said that there are an “adequate” number of medium-speed and reduced-size EDS on the current QPL to fulfill the agency’s requirements during the FY ’15 to FY ’17 period.
TSA’s announcement in the Oct. 31 FedBizOpps says that during the FY’15 to FY ’17 timeframe it will annually purchase fewer than 80 medium-speed EDS, fewer than 10 reduced-size systems, and fewer than five high-speed EDS. Wilson said that in FY ’14 TSA purchased 69 medium-speed systems and no reduced-size or high-speed EDS. He adds that the number of medium-speed systems to be purchased in FY ’15 is still being determined.
Wilson also said that due to ongoing budget constraints TSA will not be doing any new inline or optimization EDS projects during the next five years
The fact that TSA is limiting its recapitalization projects and trying to take advantage of longer-than-expected life-cycles of its existing EDS systems isn’t new. At last year’s AAAE Aviation Security Summit, John Sanders, the agency’s assistant administrator for the Office of Security Capabilities, said TSA prefers to install upgrades in the field to the systems as long as it is cost-effective. Those upgrades include software and replacing the rotating gantries used in the computed tomography imaging systems.
Sanders said at last week’s AAAE event that the platforms TSA invests in now “have to last longer” and the agency has to “come up with creative ways” to solve some of the problems it is facing.
Wilson said that between FY ’12 and FY ’14 TSA funded 71 airport projects to enhance baggage handling systems, which typically includes installing EDS machines. The agency continues to work those upgrades and only plans to fund four such projects–also called Other Transaction Agreements–in FY ’15, he said, adding that no projects will be started without the money to complete them.
L-3 Communications [LLL], Safran Group’s Morpho Detection business, and Leidos [LDOS] produce EDS machines that TSA buys.