Crawley, 2 December - Thales UK is today showcasing advances in aviation security technology as it delivers the INSTINCT Technology Demonstrator 2 (TD2) Aviation Security project on behalf of the Home Office.

Technology being demonstrated at the event includes full-body scanners trialled at Manchester Airport and a walk-through explosive detection system trialled at Glasgow Airport. These will be showcased alongside more than 40 other exhibits at Thales UK’s flagship Crawley site. The site has been transformed into a simulated airport experience, from ticketing through to boarding.

Visitors to the showcase include high-level UK and international government delegates, and senior representatives from the airport, airline and security industries from around the world.

Since winning the contract to lead TD2 in July, Thales has received more than 300 expressions of interest, leading to 180 submissions from Small to Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs), academia and industry: 19 of these were selected by an independent panel of experts to be validated through trials in simulated environments and at real airports around the UK to ensure that they are viable and can make a real and positive contribution to aviation security.

Baroness Neville-Jones, Minister for Security said: “As we have seen in recent months, aviation is one of the key challenges to our security. INSTINCT is a vital part of the Government’s response in seeking innovative solutions to counter current and future threats. We will continue to call on industry and universities to help drive counter-terrorism solutions. The UK is at the forefront of global innovation and maintaining that position is crucial for our economic recovery as well as our security.
 
“We are never complacent in dealing with the terrorist threat – Government, industry and academia must continue working together to improve our response. As we set out in the Strategic Defence and Security Review last month, our approach to tackling terrorism is strategic and multi-layered. We will never rely solely on protective security at airports – the work of the police and intelligence agencies is vital too.”

Alex Dorrian, CEO of Thales UK, said: “Security solutions are a core capability within Thales and an area where we have considerable pedigree. By leading the INSTINCT–TD2 project we have demonstrated how Thales can work efficiently, effectively and at speed to bring together stakeholders from industry, SMEs, academia and government to enhance the UK’s capability in addressing the response to an ever changing terrorist threat.”

A final report, including detailed analysis of the trials results and potential commercialisation / implementation of the trialled technologies will be submitted to the Home Office at the end of January 2011.