Specialist scanning technology company Nuctech has been awarded a multi-million dollar contract by the Chinese Government to supply the country's 147 airports with new technology scanning equipment which Nuctech claims can detect liquid explosives in

five seconds.
The head of China's Civil Aviation General Administration security division Yang Chengfeng confirmed yesterday that the contract had been awarded to Nuctech, a company which is headed by the Chinese President Hu Jintao's son, Hu Haifeng.
News of this new technology was first broken by TREND on December 7 when we reported that BAA and the UK Government were taking an interest in the new technology after HM Revenue & Customs awarded the company a contract to supply container and vehicle inspection systems to British ports.
Nuctech specialises in this business and its system for detecting explosive liquids, known as the ‘LS8016’ is already used in several airports in China. But not surprisingly it doesn't come cheap. Currently the company's lowest-priced system weighs in at between $150,000 to $200,000 for a scanner to monitor people and luggage. Nevertheless, the company's products have caught the attention of several other bodies, including the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and airports in the Netherlands, France and Spain.
According to Nuctech, the LS8016 Liquid Security Inspection System can be used at airports, customs, railway stations, seaports, government departments, mail inspection centres, embassies and conference venues and is capable of detecting and identifying flammable and corrosive liquid substances during a single analysis without opening containers.
The company says that its system has passed rigorous testing in China and in June 2006 four units were installed by Chengdu Airport in south-west China which Nuctech says ‘solved the problem of inspecting liquid material taken by passengers’ and it further claims that the system is ‘highly regarded by relevant executives and operators’.
The new contract in China is also aimed at reassuring visitors that everything is being done to ensure the safety of the huge influx of visitors that the country is expecting during the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Having said that, China's existing ban on the carriage of most liquids in hand luggage is to remain, despite the imminent presence of the new scanners.