Liberty Defense signs VMI Security deal to widen HEXWAVE distribution
Liberty Defense Holdings has signed a non-exclusive distribution agreement with VMI Security, a US-based specialist in non-intrusive inspection technology, to sell its HEXWAVE walkthrough screening system through VMI's existing sales channels. The deal, announced on 24 September 2026, gives the NASDAQ- and TSX Venture-listed company access to VMI's customer relationships across aviation, government facilities, public venues and critical infrastructure.
HEXWAVE uses active 3D radar imaging technology licensed from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, combined with AI and machine learning, to detect both metallic and non-metallic weapons and explosives in real time. Liberty describes the system as enabling high-throughput, frictionless screening, meaning passengers or pedestrians need not stop or remove items in the way traditional metal detectors require.
The deal
Bill Frain, chief executive of Liberty Defense, said the partnership arrives at what the company views as an inflection point for the US security screening market. "VMI has a proven track record of delivering next-generation security inspection technologies and the ability to provide customers with end-to-end checkpoint screening solutions, now including HEXWAVE," he said. Liberty did not disclose the financial terms of the agreement, any minimum purchase commitments, or specific named customers that VMI is expected to approach.
Separately, Liberty disclosed that on 24 September 2026 it granted 43,888 restricted share units to certain directors and officers under its Omnibus Long-Term Incentive Plan. Of those, 23,888 RSUs vest in September 2027 and 20,000 vest in September 2028, with all units expiring in September 2031.
Market context
The concealed-threat detection market is under sustained pressure to replace legacy metal-detector technology with systems capable of identifying non-metallic threats, including plastic-cased firearms and improvised explosives. The US Transportation Security Administration and its counterparts in the UK and EU have accelerated trials of advanced imaging technology in recent years, reflecting post-pandemic passenger volume recovery and a heightened threat environment at soft targets including schools, stadiums and transit hubs.
Liberty competes in a field that includes established players such as Smiths Detection and Evolv Technology, the latter of which has pursued a similarly AI-driven, high-throughput approach to venue screening and is listed on NASDAQ. Evolv's experience underlines both the commercial opportunity and the scrutiny that AI-based screening vendors face: the company encountered regulatory and reputational pressure following claims about detection accuracy, a dynamic that Liberty will need to manage carefully as HEXWAVE deployment scales.
The VMI agreement is a channel-extension move rather than a technology or funding announcement. Its significance lies in VMI's existing airport and government customer base, which could shorten the sales cycle for HEXWAVE at sites already procuring from VMI's broader portfolio. That said, the non-exclusive nature of the arrangement means VMI is under no obligation to prioritise HEXWAVE over competing systems it may carry.
For Liberty, which has not disclosed commercial revenue from HEXWAVE at scale, the key near-term milestones will be named customer wins through the VMI channel and published real-world detection performance data to support procurement decisions at regulated venues.