|
Gyrocam has already received orders for several hundreds of
systems from the USMC, Army and Navy. The company demonstrated
its multi-sensor mast-mounted EO system associated with a remote
weapon station proposed as an IED hunter killer. This concept
seems to attract much interest with US forces in Iraq, as it
provides more flexibility within standard operational practices,
enabling troops to maintain significant stand-off distance while
spotting, detecting and engaging suspected objects, without
entering a potential kill-zone, set by hostile elements near
an IED ambush site. Such flexible procedures are also less susceptible
to exploitation by the enemy. Gyrocam has been contracted to
supply several hundred multi-sensor mast-mounted electro-optical
payloads to be used for force protection applications. The company
demonstrated the integration of such payload with BAE System's
Lemur remotely operated weapon station, used as a Counter IED
system.
A different method of defeating an IED from stand-off
distance is proposed by Boeing, utilizing the company's latest
addition to the Avenger Agile Multi-Role Weapon System (AMWS)
very short-range air defense (VSHORAD) system. Boeing recently
demonstrated how energetic materials can be neutralized by laser
beams from safe distance. The Laser Avenger was employed in
such a demonstration on September 26-27, 2007 at the US Army
Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Ala. The vehicle was equipped
with a 1-kilowatt solid-state laser. The laser segment of Laser
Avenger will have uses beyond the counter-IED, counter-UXO mission.
For example, it could be upgraded to have a shoot-on-the-move
capability and to blind or destroy other kinds of targets, including
low-flying unmanned aerial vehicles. The laser was  added
while retaining Avenger's ability to carry other weapons, including
missiles and a machine gun. Boeing plans to offer AMWS and Laser
Avenger as product improvements for over 600 Avengers are deployed
with military users worldwide.
Elbit Systems unveiled its latest electronic countermeasure
designed to combat Remotely-Controlled Improvised Explosive
Devices (RCIED). The new IED Jammer (IEDJ) represents Elbit
Systems' latest generation system, earlier countermeasures developed
by Elbit and its subsidiaries have been combat proven in different
war zones worldwide. The new vehicle-mounted system is designed
as a modular, programmable multi-band radio-frequency jammer
which denies enemy use of selected portions of the RF spectrum
in the system's vicinity. Unlike earlier generation devices
using broadband 'barrage' to block entire wavelengths associated
with suspected RCIED triggering devices (which usually cover
most of the frequencies used by radio communications and cellular
phones), Elbit's IEDJ uses specific waveforms, rather than barrage
jamming. Barrage can be programmed into the hardware, where
required. The system can transmit on all bands simultaneously,
effectively countering a wide range of potential threats.
 AMTI,
a SAIC subsidiary developed the Seeker family of small robots,
designed for detection and defeat of IED threats. SAIC offers
two Seeker series robots – the R500E, and R421. The R-500E,
weighing about 30 pounds, designed for multi-use, is applied
as a low-cost device, priced for mass distribution to EOD units
and other commands. Employed as a forward scout, about 1,000
feet in front of the troops, the R-500E can search for suspicious
objects and identify potential IEDs by 'sniffing' them explosive
detection sensors. If an IED is detected, R-500E or its smaller
'brother', R-421 can deploy an explosive charge and clear the
area before the detonation. The robot carries such charges on
a trailer, carrying a weight of up to 25 pounds (15 punds with
the R-412). R-500E is equipped with two forward looking cameras
and pan-tilt camera for recon. A microphone is also used to
send back information. For night operation the robot uses an
Infrared LED array.
Other topics covered in this review:
|
|
< Page
10 of 11 > |
|
