The unit was revealed at a press conference with UCI President David Lappartient and Jean-Christophe Péraud, who was appointed as the governing body's manager of equipment and placed in charge of the fight against technological fraud back in November.

The x-ray unit is set to compliment the methods already in use to detect motors, such as magnetic scanning tablets and thermal imaging cameras.

It is claimed the unit is specially designed for the fight against technological fraud, with the machine developed with the support of VJ Technologies.

The company supply x-ray technology solutions for the automotive, aerospace, energy, nuclear and arms industries.

X-ray images of a complete bike are expected to be available within five minutes, with the equipment now set to be transported between races.

The UCI state they have been given the authority to use it in countries hosting major cycling events.

Tackling technological fraud was repeatedly highlighted as a key aim of Lappartient when the Frenchman successfully campaigned for the UCI Presidency.

"Six months to the day after my election, the UCI is sending a strong message to the cycling family with this action plan against technological fraud," he said.

"Thanks to both current methods and those being developed, we possess both short- and medium-term measures that will reassure stakeholders, fans and the media.

"As I have said on several occasions, our wish is to prove that these motors do not exist in the professional sport, thus validating our athletes' performances.

"In accordance with my campaign commitment, we are also developing the capacity to support national federations at national and amateur competitions.

"Guaranteeing the credibility of our sport remains one of the main priorities of my Presidency and this announcement is an important step in this direction."

The UCI claim they now have the most robust action plan ever put in place to combat technological fraud, with tests scheduled for 150 days of racing across all five continents, covering all disciplines and age categories.

The governing body also announced a partnership with CEA Tech, a research unit of the French Atomic and Alternative Energies Commission, which develops advanced technology.

They are claimed to improve corporate competitiveness through innovation, performance and the differentiation of products and services, as well as opening up new business markets.

Technological expertise used by the organisation is now expected to help the UCI identify the optimum approach to designing devices to detect the magnetic fields associated with hidden motors.

It is hoped this would lead to real-time and continuous monitoring for the entire duration of a race.

A portable detection device, based on magnetic detection technology, is also being worked on by the UCI.

They state this will become accessible to national federations, with the governing body claiming their eventual aim is to develop a way of tracking equipment based on radio-frequency identification.

"Since my appointment last November, my team and I have tackled this subject head on, in order to deliver on the commitments made by our President as quickly as possible," said Péraud.

"I am confident that the methods implemented from this year, along with our partnership with the CEA and the future development of foolproof detection methods, will help us to restore confidence in our sport."

Péraud replaced Mark Barfield, who led efforts against technological fraud during Brian Cookson's tenure as UCI President.

Only one case of technological fraud has ever been confirmed, following the UCI Cyclo-­cross World Championships in 2016.

The bike of Belgian rider Femke Van den Driessche was seized following the women's under-23 event, with an investigation finding that there was a concealed motor controlled by a Bluetooth switch.

The press conference was also attended by UCI Management Committee member and President of the UCI Equipment and Fight against Technological Fraud Commission, Bob Stapleton.

Gabriele Fioni, deputy director at CEA Tech, was also present.