A new handheld chemical, narcotics and explosives detector has been launched by Chemring Detection Systems Inc. for use by first responders and the military.

The PGR-1064 handheld Raman detector system features a customizable and expandable library enabling operators to identify over 5,000 elements, including chemical warfare agents and toxic industrial chemicals in solid, powder and liquid form. It requires no sample preparation, the company said, and data acquisition typically occurs in two seconds and identification of the unknown substance is revealed within about 10 seconds.

"When accuracy matters, the PGR-1064 nanometer wavelength laser delivers higher quality spectral signatures that are more reliable and precise for identifying unknown substances compared to 785nm solutions," said Juan Hernandez, vice president of Business Development. "Chemring Sensors & Electronic Systems is extremely excited to extend our long history of arming the military and now our first responders, local, state and federal agencies, with advanced technology that saves lives and helps protect our citizens from threats."

The PGR-1064 weighs 2.25 pounds and is designed for field operations.