New NATO initiative to help detect explosives and firearms in public transport
Through its Science for Peace and Security (SPS) Programme, NATO has launched a new initiative to develop and test a system for the detection of explosives and firearms in mass transport environments.
The first project in this initiative brings together experts from France (ONERA, the Office National d'Etudes et de Recherches Aérospatiales), Ukraine (the Usikov Institute for Radiophysics and Electronics at the National Academy of Sciences), and South Korea (the Seoul National University) to design and develop a microwave imaging system. It will be able to detect explosives and concealed weapons in real time and will help secure mass transport infrastructures, such as airports, metro and railway stations.
The project, called Microwave Imaging Curtain (MIC), has been co-funded by NATO and the General Secretariat for Defence and National Security of France (SGDSN). The system will be ready for on-site demonstration as of 2020.
The initiative builds on NATO’s previous efforts on detection of explosives and is part of NATO’s enhanced role in the international fight against terrorism.