Two state-of-the-art equipment to detect explosives and narcotic substances concealed in baggage and a bomb disposal suit, all worth about ₹ 73.78 lakh, have been commissioned in the airport here.
N. Subramanian, Airport Director, commissioned them at a simple function here on Wednesday.
The airport handles five flights to Chennai and one to Bengaluru between 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. everyday and around 800 passengers travel daily.
Three security equipment - Explosives Vapour Detector, Explosives and Narcotics Trace Detector and Explosives Ordnance Disposal - have been commissioned in the airport as per Bureau of Civil Aviation Security recommendation.
The US-made Exploscan EVD, costing ₹ 15.78 lakh, is a hand-held Explosives Vapour Detector with explosives and improvised materials detector capable of tracing particle and vapour in less than 7 seconds. It can detect military and plastic explosives including TNT, C4, RDX and home-made explosives including TATP, HMTD, Urea Nitrate. Since it weighs about 850 gram, security personal can easily carry it and able to screen the airport premises wherever they want.
The Nuctech TR2000DC Explosives and Narcotics Trace Detector, imported from China, is a Desktop Explosives and Narcotics Trace Detector, which can detect explosive and narcotics of small magnitudes. Using trace detection technology based on Ion Mobility Spectrometry (IMS), the equipment worth ₹ 25 lakh can detect particles or vapour of trace explosives and narcotics and report the substance’s name. It detects majority of commercial and military explosives such as TNT, RDX, BP, PETN, NG, AN etc. and majority of narcotics such as cocaine and heroin. It will be operated by airlines security persons to screen passenger’s luggage.
The Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) suit or ‘bomb suit’ is a heavy suit of body armour designed to protect from blast overpressure, fragmentation, impact from acceleration and deceleration and heat or flame. This suit, imported from Canada at a cost of ₹ 33 lakh, has Body Cooling system to keep the user feeling refreshed and focused on the mission and reduces the effects of heat stress for Bomb Disposal Technicians.
The EOD helmet contains air ventilation system, microphone and speakers along with on-board power supply. It is capable of Electro Magnetic Compatibility so that electronic components inside helmet won’t interfere in RF noisy environment and its first of this kind in the world. Hand-held control unit is available to control helmet functions. Groin plate present for easier kneeling. The in-built camera on top of the helmet connected to the video transmitter unit of the suit transmits live video of the site to the receiver system at control room through wireless medium with the help of antenna set up to the maximum distance of 500 metres.