Security scanner commended at AOA Awards

Frank Mackel, Managing Director RSUK and Vice President Sales, Service and Marketing for West Europe said, “We are honoured to receive this prestigious commendation from the airport industry’s most highly regarded association, and awards that showcase the best in the aviation and airport sectors. The advanced R&S QPS200 Quick Personnel Security scanner from Rohde & Schwarz is helping airports around the world meet the security demands facing today’s operators.

"There is a growing need for airports to increase the proportion of passengers that are scanned, and this will surely increase further in the future. This AOA have recognised our work in pushing the boundaries to achieve fast and unobtrusive, reliable security scanning.”

The R&S QPS200 is a millimetre-wave, high precision security scanner that automatically detects potentially dangerous items carried on the body or in clothing, whilst ensuring an unobtrusive and uncomplicated experience for scanned persons. 

It introduces several engineering innovations to achieve the fast cycle times required for airport use, and to detect any concealed threats in real-time without generating actual-body images to be inspected by security supervisors. 

It is certified by ECAC standard 1 and 2 to meet the highest detection capabilities.

The R&S QPS system uses low-energy waves (known as millimetre waves) to fully scan the body. Unlike X-ray equipment, millimetre-wave scanning gives excellent penetration of low-density matter like clothes, although the low-energy waves are harmless to human cells.

The body surface can be scanned accurately from a distance of about one metre, permitting reliable detection of items hidden under clothes.

In addition to inherent safety and convenience, millimetre waves can detect items such as ceramic weapons, liquids, explosives, or drugs that would be invisible to equipment such as metal detectors commonly used for security screening.

To ensure privacy is guaranteed to win customers’ confidence and goodwill, the system analyses the captured data without human intervention to detect potential threats.

This is done entirely electronically, without ever creating a visible image of the scanned body, and the location of any detected object is pinpointed on an avatar shown on screen.

The fast scan times, accurate threat detection, minimal false-alarm rate, time-saving pictorial guidance, and co-operation from relaxed and confident passengers, are the keys to achieving these increases to protect flight safety, while maintaining the overall customer experience.

The first UK operational R&S QPS200 scanner was installed at London City Airport (LCY), quickly expanding with further installations at other airport locations worldwide, becoming an integral element in their security procedures.