The Transportation Security Administration has begun a three-week pilot test of specialized portable explosive detection technology capable of withstanding harsh weather and operating conditions. Smiths Detection’s Multi-Mode Threat Detector (MMTD) will be an integral part of the testing. The MMTD is a rugged, portable handheld system capable of identifying narcotics or explosives simultaneously from a single sample. It operates remotely and reports back via Wi-Fi Ethernet. To test for explosives, the equipment operator simply swabs the surface of a bag or vehicle and places the swab inside the explosives trace detection unit, which then analyzes the content for the presence of potential explosive residue.