In a homeland security setting, the ability to detect explosives at a distance is a top security priority. Consequently, the development of remote, non-contact detection systems continues to represent a path forward. In this vein, a remote detection system for excitation of infrared emissions using a CO 2 laser for generating Laser-Induced Thermal Emission (LITE) is a possible 2 solution. However, a LITE system using a CO 2 laser has certain limitations, such as the requirement of careful alignment, interference by the CO signal during detection, and the power density loss due to the increase of the laser image at the sample plane with the detection distance.In this study, a remote chopped-laser induction system for LITE detection using a CO 2 laser source coupled to a focusing telescope was built to solve some of these limitations. Samples of fixed surface concentration (500 g/cm 2 ) of 1,3,5-trinitroperhydro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX) were used for the remote detection experiments at the distance ranging between 4 and 8 m. This system was capable of thermally exciting and capturing the thermal emissions (TEs) at different times in a cyclic manner by a Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectrometer coupled to a goldcoated reflection optics telescope (FTIR-GT). This was done using a wheel blocking the capture of TE by the FTIR-GT chopper while heating the sample with the CO 2 laser. As the wheel moved, it blocked the CO 2 laser and allowed the spectroscopic system to capture the TEs of RDX. Different periods (or frequencies) of wheel spin and FTIR-GT integration times were evaluated to find dependence with observation distance of the maximum intensity detection, minimum S/N ratio, CO 2 laser spot size increase, and the induced temperature increment (T).