PRESS RELEASE • FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Argos identifies explosives, homemade explosives and other chemical threats without contact at up to 15 meters with results in seconds.
TAMPA BAY, Florida, USA — October 16, 2026— Alakai Defense Systems, Inc., a veteran-owned technology company based in the Tampa Bay region of Florida, is introducing Argos, its handheld deep ultraviolet (UV) Raman standoff chemical detector, to explosive ordnance disposal (EOD), bomb technicians, counter-IED and security teams worldwide.
Argos identifies explosives, homemade explosives (HME), explosive precursor chemicals, chemical warfare agents (CWA), toxic industrial chemicals (TICs), toxic industrial materials (TIMs), and other chemical threats/hazardous materials without contact, at standoff distances of up to 15 meters, with results between 4 and 15 seconds. Operation is simple – the operator aims Argos, fires and receives a color-coded result – red for a threat, green for a non-threat – with supporting full chemical identification information, hazard data from the GHS database, photographic evidence of what was analyzed, GPS coordinates, and the spectrum of the material.
Argos handheld deep UV Raman standoff chemical detector
Core C-IED / EOD Capabilities
- Standoff identification: 7 to 15 meters from the target.
- Fast results: 4 to 15 seconds typical integration time per shot.
- Explosives and HME library: Including explosives, HME, CWAs, TICs/TIMs and hazardous materials, identified by an on-board AI/machine-learning trained algorithm.
- Trace to bulk: Detects bulk samples, residues and trace samples.
- Works in daylight: The 261 nm laser operates outdoors in direct sunlight, conditions that can interfere with traditional infrared Raman systems.
- Evidence and reporting: A photograph is captured with every shot, and one-page PDF reports can be exported for documentation and forensic exploitation.
- Hot-zone ready: Designed for typical hot-zone tasks in Level A PPE, with remote operation from the cold zone via the included mobile device.
- Rugged: MIL-STD-810H shock and vibration tested.
Global Footprint & Operational Support
- Export classification: Argos is not ITAR-controlled; it is classified under ECCN 1A004.D. Licensing requirements depend on destination and end user.
- Local support: International customers are supported through Alakai’s local channel partners, with reachback support from Alakai.
- Continuous improvement: Standard software updates are released twice a year, and Alakai works with customers to expand the chemical library with region-specific data.
See Argos in Action
-
- Trace explosive residue detection (3 trace explosives identified at 5 meters away in 20 seconds)
-
- Liquid trace detection (3 liquid trace samples representing explosives, CWAs, and TICs at 5 meters away in 20 seconds)
-
- Speed of analysis in bright daylight (10 samples in bright daylight in 2 minutes)
About Alakai Defense Systems, Inc.
Alakai Defense Systems is a veteran-owned technology company based in the Tampa Bay region of Florida within the United States. For more than 20 years, Alakai has specialized in deep ultraviolet (UV) laser and electro-optical sensors for standoff detection of chemical threats in defense and security applications. Alakai designs and manufactures its systems in-house in Florida.
Visit alakaidefense.com or contact us at [email protected] | Tel: +1 727 541 1600
Sign up for the Counter-IED Report Newsletters
The latest news and insights delivered right to your inbox
Related:
- TSA bomb experts at Columbus airport work to keep explosives off planes
November 26, 2024
As millions of people get ready to fly this Thanksgiving, travelers may wonder why they are required to remove their shoes, belts and computers from their carry-on baggage. The answer is to help Transportation Security Administration screeners catch bombs or the components to make them. In 2010, the TSA began installing hundreds of advanced imaging technology ...
- India: Digital University Kerala researchers develop mine-detection technology
November 8, 2024
A team of researchers from the Digital University Kerala (DUK) have come up with a technology to detect buried explosives with minimum human involvement. The technology can be put to use even in the most rugged and forested areas, thereby, reducing risk for people involved in de-mining and also clearing large areas in the shortest time. ...
- Gibraltar: Tender For The Supply, Installation & Maintenance Of ECAC Approved Explosive Detection
November 1, 2024
Tender For The Supply, Installation & Maintenance Of ECAC Approved Explosive Detection Systems For Cabin Baggage & Security Scanners To Screen Passengers At Gibraltar Airport Contracting Authority – Gibraltar Air Terminal Ltd is inviting bids from economic operators for the Supply, Installation & Maintenance of ECAC Approved Explosive Detection Systems for Cabin Baggage & Security Scanners ...
- Angola: Trained rodents detect mines for people to farm again
October 27, 2024
“If you come across a snake, it’s best not to get nervous, but to stay calm and wait for it to pass.” The instructions given by paramedic João Eduardo are alarming, especially in latitudes where certain species of viper, cobra, or the feared and deadly black mamba live. However, they sound like an asterisk in a ...
- Kenya: Two university students innovate robot IED detector to help in war on terrorism
October 21, 2024
Two Technical University of Mombasa students have innovated a bomb detector robot that can be used in insecurity prone areas like Lamu. The innovation is such that the robot car, which can be remotely controlled, can be used as a lead car in a patrol or convoy to detect any explosive devices. It uses special rays ...
- TSA: Tri-agency collaboration printing outside the lines
October 21, 2024
Louisiana Lead Explosives Specialist and Innovation Officer Mike Nelson’s invention puts new field explosive screening kits at the tips of officers’ fingers. The unassuming holder neatly organizes and conveniently dispenses supply kits used in the screening protocol for explosive trace detection (ETD) at the checkpoint. The need was basic, but the simple product projected a polished, ...
- South Korea: Mock explosives missed at airport security, already five times this year
October 8, 2024
In order to check the security status at the airport, a passenger’s bag containing a fake explosive was checked in, but there have been five instances this year where the explosive was not detected during the baggage handling process. In July, an inspector from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport disguised as a passenger visited ...
- UK: Grenade bought for £51 blown up by bomb squad
September 6, 2024
A collector who bought a grenade online for £51 has had it blown up in a field by the bomb squad. The World War Two-era Hungarian stick grenade bought by Kallum Williams was advertised as decommissioned. But when it arrived device seemed to still have explosive powder inside and he called the police, waiting up all ...
- Employing Military Working Dogs in Large-Scale Combat Operations
August 30, 2024
Canines have been useful to military organizations since their domestication. Few, if any, instruments of war have the successful track record and longevity of MWDs. They remain effective in a variety of environments, including dense vegetation, subterranean complexes, and trench networks. Even in the current operational environment, there are many situations in which MWDs outperform drones ...
- Washington: Suspicious package on train, bomb squad responds in Ferndale
August 28, 2024
Last week Bellingham Police’s Hazardous Devices Unit answered a call from Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office about a suspicious package attached to a locomotive. Police described the package as a bag hanging on a train that pulled into Phillips 66 in Ferndale. Wearing an Explosive Ordinance Suit or “bomb suit” Sergeant Keller x-rayed the bag to determine ...
- NYPD prepares for possible US Open security threats
August 26, 2024
Nearly one million spectators are expected to attend the US Open, which begins Monday in Queens, New York. Although a new assessment warns that large events “remain attractive targets for attacks by violent extremists and malicious actors,” the NYPD said there are currently no known causes for concern. The focal point is Arthur Ashe Stadium, where ...
- 100ml limit on liquids to return to all EU airports from September
August 24, 2024
Passing through airport security can be a tedious part of the air travel process but some European airports had managed to speed it up thanks to the installation of state-of-the-art scanners, which allow passengers to carry electronic devices and cosmetics of any quantity in their luggage without having to take them out. But despite the equipment’s ...
- University of Houston Researchers Unveil Groundbreaking Technique in X-Ray Imaging
August 14, 2024
Researchers at the University of Houston unveiled a groundbreaking advancement in X-ray imaging technology that could provide significant improvements in medical diagnostics, materials and industrial imaging, transportation security and other applications. In a paper featured on the cover of Optica, one of the world’s leading journals in theoretical and applied optics and photonics, Mini Das, Moores ...
- Jammu and Kashmir: Police To Strengthen Law Enforcement With 64,000 Investigation Kits and Bomb Disposal Vehicles
August 3, 2024
The Jammu and Kashmir Police are set to acquire more than 64,000 advanced investigation kits for police stations across the Union Territory, along with two specialised vehicles for the Bomb Disposal Squad, according to officials. The initiative aims to boost the efficiency and effectiveness of law enforcement in the region. A senior police officer at Jammu ...
- EU to reintroduce 100ml liquid rule with ‘significant’ disruption for passengers
August 1, 2024
The European Union has announced that 100ml liquid restrictions will be reintroduced at airports across the bloc from September. The update comes three months after the UK reintroduced the restriction across all airports, including those with Next Generation Security Checkpoints – designed to phase out the long-standing rule. The European branch of Airports Council International (ACI) ...