By Joel Scanlon
The Fido XT portable, trace explosives detector may weigh less than three pounds but it is able to detect several military-grade compounds used in homemade explosives and IEDs, including PETN. Known as the Fido XT Explosive Detector, soldiers have been using it on patrols in Afghanistan to find munitions caches.
It is not a replacement for bomb-finding military working dogs but has a similar use. A soldier at a base checkpoint uses the hand-held device to scan vehicles for traces of explosives. The explosive detector device takes readings from vapors in the air to detect explosives, and gives the operator a “go” or “no go” signal, indicating if the vehicle is safe.
Now the next generation of explosive detectors is here with the new Fido® NXT. The device has an expanded detection capability for explosives. It is smaller than the previous model and can be integrated with ease into the existing security measures.
The system provides on-screen prompts for the majority of user actions to overcome issues related to intermittent usage and the associated loss of training knowledge enabling both novice operators and explosives experts to use the device with confidence. The Fido NXT is ideally suited to covert operations or screening in high risk or high threat environments.
Source: ICx Technologies