Apstec Systems, a provider of AI-driven, non-intrusive threat detection technology, today confirmed that its Falcon Plus and Merlin screening systems have been included in the UK National Protective Security Authority’s (NPSA) Catalogue of Security Equipment following testing against its published test methods for discriminative detection.
Falcon Plus, which combines millimetre wave sensing with active magnetometry to identify both metallic and non-metallic threats without requiring individuals to divest smartphones, keys or other everyday items, was tested against the NPSA Discriminative Threat Detection Systems Test Method (v1.0, December 2023). Merlin, Apstec’s discriminative metal detection system, was tested against the NPSA Discriminative Metal Detection Systems Test Method (October 2020). Both systems support a throughput of up to 2,500 people per hour and process all data locally, with no cloud processing required.
NPSA’s test methods are not pass/fail assessments. Instead, NPSA confirms that a manufacturer has correctly followed its published methodology and that the results presented accurately reflect system performance. NPSA does not endorse or approve individual products tested against these methods.
The results provide security professionals and buyers with a structured basis for assessing detection performance and throughput against their own operational requirements.
Falcon Plus and Merlin are deployed across a range of high-throughput public environments, including entertainment venues, sports stadia, shopping centres, transport hubs, cultural institutions, and corporate and government facilities.
“Testing against a recognised national methodology gives our customers a clear, structured way to evaluate detection performance. Having both Falcon Plus and Merlin tested under NPSA’s framework reflects our commitment to transparency in an industry where buyers need to make informed, evidence-based decisions,” said Niclas Gustafsson, Group CEO of Apstec Systems.
Read the full NPSA listing here.
Notes for readers
- NPSA is the UK Government’s National Technical Authority for physical and personnel security, and part of the Security Service, MI5.
- Testing of Falcon Plus and Merlin was carried out by Apstec in December 2025, following NPSA’s respective published test methods.
- Results are available to security professionals and buyers on request, supporting evaluation of detection performance and throughput against facility requirements.