Passive FT-IR Spectrometer

The Bruker RAPIDplus is a second-generation passive Fourier-Transform Infrared (FT-IR) stand-off detection system that scans the mid-infrared spectral window (7–14 µm / 700–1,300 cm⁻¹) to identify chemical agent clouds in real time from a safe distance. Using Bruker's RockSolid flex-pivot interferometer — a mechanism with no sliding parts and proven field longevity — the instrument performs continuous spectral analysis across its full 360° arc without needing to be brought to a stop, making it equally suited to vehicle-mounted patrol and fixed perimeter installations.

In practice the system is deployed wherever a large, difficult-to-search area must be kept under chemical surveillance: airport perimeters, airside service roads, fuel-farm perimeters, critical-infrastructure buffer zones, and forward-operating military positions. Because detection is entirely passive — the sensor reads the natural thermal emission and absorption signature of chemical vapour plumes against a sky or ground background — there is no need for sample collection, reagent cartridges, or operator proximity to the suspected release point. The integrated colour camera with Video Overlay Mode (VOM) software superimposes the spectrally identified threat contour directly onto the video frame, giving operators an immediate spatial picture of plume extent and drift direction.

The RAPIDplus sits at the top of Bruker's chemical-detection range: it is not a first-response hand-held but a command-level early-warning sensor. At 28.7 kg in a single housing and rated to MIL-STD-810G and 461F, it can be mounted on vehicles, trailers, or building infrastructure and networked via Ethernet into a site-wide detection architecture. Sensitivity is in the low-ppm range for all known CWAs, with an extended TIC library that operators can supplement in the field. For GCC airports and defence-aviation facilities where wide open aprons, fuel-handling areas, and VVIP terminals create large stand-off requirements, the system provides credible chemical early-warning without placing a detection crew inside a potential hazard zone.