The deal with Vehant Technologies covers the deployment of 232 ETD units across more than 60 airports nationwide
India is set to significantly upgrade its aviation security framework after the Airport Authority of India (AAI) signed a Rs 40-crore contract for the supply and maintenance of advanced, indigenous explosive trace detectors (ETDs).
The deal with Vehant Technologies covers the deployment of 232 ETD units across more than 60 airports nationwide, including major hubs and regional facilities.
Key airports on the deployment list include Chennai, Kolkata, Pune, Varanasi, Srinagar, Jammu, Amritsar, Port Blair, and Coimbatore. The move marks a crucial step in reinforcing security checkpoints, baggage handling systems, cargo, and transit areas against explosive threats.
The technology at the heart of the security upgrade is the NanoSniffer ETD, a microsensor-based device that has been successfully operating at seven airports for over two years following an initial trial order under the AAI’s Make-in-India programme in 2023.
Public documentation describes the NanoSniffer as the world’s first microsensor-based explosive trace detector, lauded for its ability to identify trace levels of explosives in under 10 seconds.
The roots of the technology trace back to the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay), where the concept was developed around 2008-09. This effort was significantly backed by funding from the Principal Scientific Adviser’s Office and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
The device was conceived and developed by NanoSniff Technologies, co-founded by Dr. Nitin S. Kale and Kapil Bardeja, alongside Professors Ramgopal Rao and Soumyo Mukherji. NanoSniff, now operating from the IIT Bombay Research Park, entered a technology transfer agreement with Vehant Technologies, an IIT Delhi-incubated company.
This large-scale order is expected to significantly strengthen India’s explosive detection capabilities while concurrently reducing the country’s reliance on costly imported ETD systems.
Dr. Nitin S. Kale, co-founder of NanoSniff Technologies, emphasised the depth of the indigenous effort: “Nanosniff has not only developed the ETD system but also its key constituents the MEMS sensor, the underlying science and the detection algorithms. We have worked on this technology with invaluable support from IIT Bombay, IISc Bangalore, DRDO-HEMRL Pune, PSA and MeitY.”
Kapil Bardeja, co-founder and CEO of Vehant Technologies, highlighted the broader national importance of the deal: “By providing this indigenous deep-tech solution along with lifecycle support, we reaffirm our commitment to enhancing aviation security and advancing the Make-in-India agenda. This innovation was achieved much before the launch of India’s Semiconductor Mission.”
