Liberty Defense HEXWAVE Lands Cleveland Airport Deal

Liberty Defense Holdings Ltd. (NASDAQ: DETX; TSXV: SCAN) announced on 2 October 2026 that Cleveland Hopkins International Airport will deploy two HEXWAVE walkthrough screening systems under a contract in which Wadsworth Solutions acts as prime contractor. The airport handles roughly 10 million passengers a year. The systems support CLE's Aviation Worker Screening program at designated checkpoints. Liberty said the deal brings HEXWAVE deployments to nine airports. Financial terms were not disclosed, and no delivery schedule or contract value was given.

Context — why this matters for airport security screening

The deployment extends a pattern the company itself cites: with CLE, HEXWAVE will sit at nine airports, a figure Liberty CEO Bill Frain tied to "growing demand for more comprehensive security screening solutions." That count is the only comparable the report provides, so the deal's importance rests on the incremental airport, not on any disclosed revenue.

The contract also shows how the product reaches buyers. Wadsworth Solutions, trading since 1944, installs the systems, trains operators and handles support, taking the prime role while Liberty supplies the technology. That arrangement matters because airport security procurement runs through integrators with existing relationships, not directly through hardware vendors.

The timing lines up with a broader push to screen aviation workers as closely as passengers. The report frames the sale as supporting and enhancing CLE's worker screening as the airport grows, and notes HEXWAVE has already been picked for aviation, government buildings, laboratories, courthouses and correctional facilities. Each new airport adds a reference site that procurement teams at other airports can weigh.

For a small-cap with shares listed on both Nasdaq and the TSX Venture Exchange, order flow of this type is the visible measure of commercial traction. The report gives no backlog figure, no unit price and no indication whether the two portals are a pilot or a full rollout, so readers cannot size the revenue effect from the disclosure alone.

Data — what the numbers show

Item	Figure
HEXWAVE units at CLE	2
Airports with HEXWAVE after CLE	9
CLE annual passengers	approx. 10 million
Contract value	not disclosed
Delivery timeline	not disclosed

Cleveland Hopkins moves about 10 million passengers a year, which puts the two-portal order at the small end of an airport deployment. The nine-airport total is the number that carries the story: it is the company's own running count and the only growth metric in the report.

The report lists no stock price, no revenue contribution and no order value, so there is no figure to set against prior guidance. It also gives no comparable for how many workers CLE screens or how many portals a typical worker-screening lane needs. What the disclosure does confirm is that the systems are being sold, installed and supported, not merely trialled.

Technically, HEXWAVE uses millimeter wave technology and 3D video-rate imaging, with automatic threat detection driven by AI and deep learning. The company says it flags metallic and non-metallic threats plus contraband such as liquids, powders, plastics and vapes. That breadth is the commercial argument against metal-detector-only checkpoints.

Analysis — what it means for markets and sectors

Airport security hardware sits at the intersection of government procurement and private integration. The buyers are airport authorities and their contractors; the sellers are technology vendors and installers. Liberty's route through Wadsworth places it in the second category of supplier, where a single integrator relationship can open multiple sites.

The nine-airport count matters because each site is a reference. Aviation security buyers rarely adopt unproven equipment, so a growing installed base lowers the friction on the next sale. The report gives no dollar figures, so the market impact runs through credibility and pipeline, not through near-term earnings.

There is a counter-argument worth stating. Two portals at one airport is a small order, and the report does not say whether it is a pilot or a permanent installation. If other airports follow CLE, the installed base compounds; if they do not, the nine-airport figure stops moving. The disclosure offers no conversion rate on trials, so the risk cannot be quantified from what was released.

On positioning, the disclosure is the kind that short-interest and momentum traders watch in small-cap security names, because contract announcements are the main scheduled news flow. Nothing in the report connects the announcement to any move in the shares, and no price or volume data was provided, so no read-across to trading flows can be drawn from it.

The wider sector angle is labour screening. Airports have historically screened passengers more heavily than the workers with airside access, and any shift toward parity pulls detection equipment into a second, smaller but steadier market. Liberty's portfolio also includes a licensed millimeter-wave body scanner and shoe scanner, which broadens its pitch to the same buyers.

Outlook — what to watch next

Watch whether Liberty discloses further airport wins that move the nine-airport count, since that is the only growth metric the company has put on the record. Watch for any contract value or delivery schedule for the CLE order; neither was released, and both would let readers size the revenue. Watch for Wadsworth's installation and training milestones, because the integrator is contractually responsible for delivery.

On the product side, watch for signs that worker screening expands beyond the designated CLE locations, or that other airports adopt the same model. The report names no dates, no revenue targets and no guidance, so there is no calendar of catalysts to track beyond the company's own news releases and its email alert list.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the Cleveland Hopkins HEXWAVE deal mean for Liberty Defense shareholders?

It adds one airport to a running total the company puts at nine, and it does so through an established integrator. The report gives no contract value, so shareholders cannot translate the order into revenue. What the deal confirms is that Liberty's AI screening product is being bought, installed and supported in an aviation setting, which is the commercial signal small-cap investors track between earnings reports.

Why does Liberty Defense use Wadsworth Solutions instead of selling directly to the airport?

Wadsworth has supplied engineering and security systems since 1944 and specializes in complex, high-security environments including transportation and correctional facilities. As prime contractor it installs the HEXWAVE units, trains operators and provides ongoing support. That structure matches how airports buy security equipment, through integrators that already hold the site relationships and service obligations, rather than through hardware vendors alone.

How does HEXWAVE detect threats that metal detectors miss?

Liberty says the portal uses millimeter wave technology and 3D video-rate imaging, with automatic threat detection powered by AI and deep learning. That combination is designed to flag both metallic and non-metallic threats, along with contraband including liquids, powders, plastics and vapes. The company has licensed the core technology from MIT and holds a technology transfer agreement covering active 3D radar imaging patents.

Bottom Line

Liberty's CLE order lifts HEXWAVE to nine airports, but with no disclosed value it is a credibility marker, not a revenue event.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. CFD trading carries high risk of capital loss.