Next-Gen Scanners Aim for Safer Skies and Smoother Journeys

RESTON, Va. – November 25, 2025 – For decades, airport security has been a delicate balancing act between ensuring passenger safety and maintaining operational efficiency. Every bag pulled for a manual search due to a false alarm represents a potential delay and a point of friction in the complex logistics of air travel. Now, a new partnership aims to tip that balance decisively, promising not only to detect threats with greater accuracy but also to streamline the entire baggage handling process.

Defense and technology giant Leidos has announced a collaboration with Quadridox, a specialized imaging firm, to develop a next-generation checked baggage screening system. The agreement integrates Leidos' established computed tomography (CT) technology with Quadridox's cutting-edge X-ray diffraction imaging (XRDI). By combining these two powerful modalities, the companies aim to create a system that can see inside luggage with unprecedented clarity and certainty, potentially marking the most significant leap in screening technology in years.

"Separately, these technologies provide high levels of threat detection," said Nik Karnik, a vice president at Leidos, in the official announcement. "When integrated, we aim to deliver a powerful and more comprehensive security screening solution." The goal is ambitious: to dramatically reduce the false positive rates that plague current systems while simultaneously improving the ability to identify ever-more sophisticated threats.

Beyond the 3D Image

At the heart of this innovation is the fusion of two distinct but complementary imaging techniques. Most modern airports are already transitioning to CT scanners, like Leidos' own Examiner 3DX, for baggage screening. Unlike traditional 2D X-rays, CT scanners generate a full 3D, rotatable image of a bag's contents, allowing operators to digitally unpack and inspect suspicious items. This technology primarily works by measuring the density of objects, with algorithms trained to flag materials whose characteristics match known explosives.

While a vast improvement, CT technology is not infallible. Densely packed bags or benign items with densities similar to threat materials can trigger false alarms, requiring the bag to be diverted for slow and costly manual inspection. This is where Quadridox's DELPHI XRDI technology comes in.

X-ray diffraction moves beyond analyzing an object's shape and density to determine its fundamental molecular structure. By analyzing the unique way X-rays scatter when passing through a crystalline substance, XRDI creates a definitive chemical "fingerprint" of the material. In this integrated system, the CT scanner acts as the first pass, quickly building a 3D map of the bag and flagging potential items of interest. The XRDI system can then be precisely targeted at a flagged object to determine exactly what it is made of.

This dual-modality approach changes the screening paradigm from one of suspicion to one of confirmation. Instead of an operator making a judgment call on a suspicious-looking dense mass, the system could provide a definitive analysis: this is a block of cheese, not a block of C-4. "By combining XRDI and CT technologies with state-of-the-art AI-based algorithms, it enables a new era of threat detection," stated Joel Greenberg, CEO of Quadridox.

Reshaping a High-Stakes Market

The announcement is not just a technological milestone; it's a calculated strategic move in the highly competitive, multi-billion-dollar airport security market. The global market is projected to exceed $25 billion by 2030, fueled by rising passenger traffic and continuous airport expansion projects worldwide. In this arena, Leidos, a Fortune 500 firm with $16.7 billion in annual revenue, faces stiff competition from established players like Smiths Detection and Rapiscan Systems.

These competitors are also heavily invested in their own advanced CT-based systems and AI-driven detection algorithms. However, by partnering with a smaller, highly specialized company, Leidos is attempting to leapfrog the current technological curve. Quadridox, a 2018 spinout from Duke University, brings a deep focus on the physics and computational methods behind XRDI, backed by research grants from the Department of Homeland Security.

This partnership exemplifies a classic industry strategy: a market giant leveraging the agility and niche innovation of a tech upstart to gain a disruptive advantage. While competitors refine their existing CT platforms, Leidos is betting on an integrated solution that promises a fundamentally higher level of data fidelity. If successful, the Leidos-Quadridox system could set a new performance benchmark, compelling rivals to play catch-up and potentially influencing future regulatory requirements for security screening equipment.

The Path to the Gate: Regulation and Reality

Before any new scanner can be deployed, it must navigate a gauntlet of rigorous testing and certification. In the United States, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) sets the standards for Explosive Detection Systems (EDS). In Europe, the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) oversees a similar Common Evaluation Process (CEP). These processes are designed to ensure that any new technology meets stringent performance requirements for detecting a wide range of threats under controlled laboratory conditions.

The press release's mention of being "ready for next-generation standards" is a clear signal that the partners are designing their system not just for today's rules, but for tomorrow's anticipated threats. Regulators are in a constant race to stay ahead of adversaries, and future standards will likely demand more than just density-based detection. The ability to provide definitive material identification, as XRDI promises, could become a key requirement.

The companies have confirmed the integrated system has already undergone significant internal testing and is now in a phase of data collection and algorithm development at government and internal sites. The next critical milestone is a planned airport trial in 2026. This move from the lab to a live airport environment will be the ultimate test of the system's performance, reliability, and ability to maintain the high throughput speeds necessary for a busy baggage handling operation.

From Screening to Seamless Travel

For the millions of people who pass through airports each day, the direct impact of this technology could be profound. While enhanced security is the primary driver, the promise of significantly fewer false alarms has direct implications for the passenger experience. Manual bag inspections are a primary bottleneck in baggage systems, contributing to delays, missed connections, and the overall stress of travel.

By automating the confirmation process and reducing the number of bags that need to be physically opened, this new technology could help make the entire journey from check-in to baggage claim smoother and more reliable. As global passenger volumes continue to climb past pre-pandemic levels, airports are under immense pressure to increase efficiency without compromising security. A system that achieves higher accuracy while maintaining or even increasing baggage analysis speed could be a game-changer for airport operators struggling with congestion.

The 2026 trial will be watched closely by the entire aviation industry. If the combined power of CT and XRDI lives up to its promise in a real-world setting, it could not only make air travel safer but also restore a measure of predictability and ease to the passenger journey, a welcome development for travelers and airport operators alike.