The Ottawa Citizen, 2005.06.27
Defence agency focuses on 'direct support' for troops: Hands-on equipment will become more common as the military's research wing now aims to meet the immediate needs of soldiers in the field, writes a journalist.
It may look like a water sprinkler on steroids, but the Ferret is the new way of the future for the Defence Department's science agency.
Created by Defence Research and Development Canada experts in conjunction with their industry counterparts, the super sensitive microphone system is designed to help troops determine the location of enemy gunmen and is now in use in Afghanistan.
The creation of such practical, hands-on equipment -- known in bureaucratic terminology as "direct support"-- will become more common as the research department alters its course to better align itself with the future direction of the Canadian Forces. Although projects will still form the bulk of the agency's efforts, attention is also being paid to working with military engineers to deal with the immediate needs of troops in the field.
"It helps us solve practical problems of the CF," Denis Faubert, director general of the agency's Valcartier, Que., laboratory, says of the new direct support program.
Mr. Faubert said the research facility, located in Ottawa and with labs across the country, had been doing such projects, but had not been proactively seeking such work.
For example, the agency quickly developed a simple but effective holder that allows troops to attach night-vision goggles to their helmets. The device is in widespread use among Canadian soldiers in Kabul.
Also in final testing is an add-on armour kit that will attach to the belly of light armoured vehicles. The system is to provide protection from landmine blasts and was developed after the Defence Department approached the research 18 months ago.
Military analyst David Rudd said in addition to conducting straight research, it makes sense for the laboratories to focus on equipment that could have an immediate practical use in the field, such as the Ferret. "It's an example of a good payoff for a modest investment," said Mr. Rudd, executive director of the Canadian Institute of Strategic Studies.
The Ferret cost around $3 million to develop.
The project, officially called the Small Arms Detection and Localization System, warns troops if they are being fired upon and uses acoustic sensors and a computer to locate the source of gunfire. The system can also determine the calibre of the bullet and help detect gunfire from silenced weapons.
The Valcartier lab and MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates developed the system. Eleven of the Ferrets are in use in Kabul where they have been installed on the Coyote armored reconnaissance vehicle. Two are being kept in Canada so troops getting ready for overseas missions can train on the systems.
Mr. Faubert said following the Defence Department's new direction will mean some current research projects will be dropped. He gave the example of the development of a hyper-velocity missile to strike at long-distance targets.
With the military focused on operating and fighting in urban areas, the need for such a missile is likely not a priority. But Mr. Faubert noted the time and money spent on working on such a program is not wasted, since the information can be used to develop new ammunition for the army's light armoured vehicle.
