Soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan to get life saving anti-sniper device

[Flip]

Years ago I had the opportunity to participate in a project, in which the product tracked  a person on stage with stage lights and followed him wherever he went.

With modern digital signal processing it's possible and likely that a system could be developed without the "antenna farm" or racks of computers suggested.

The "tracker" we worked on was no larger than a pack of cigs and processed data faster than a current laptop.  This was a decade ago......

I love technology. 8)

 

[PanaEng]

Years ago I had the opportunity to participate in a project, in which the product tracked  a person on stage with stage lights and followed him wherever he went.

With modern digital signal processing it's possible and likely that a system could be developed without the "antenna farm" or racks of computers suggested.

The "tracker" we worked on was no larger than a pack of cigs and processed data faster than a current laptop.  This was a decade ago......

I love technology. 8)

Hi Flip, how did that system track the person? Visual (IR, etc.), sonar, radio?

cheers,
Frank

 

[Flip]

The system tracked by sound.
That's why I brought it up.
The whole thing revealed some surprizing results.
The most important lesson is that developers usually don't need the processing power they think they do.
I keep re-learning that... :-[  And the simplest solutions are often most effective.
When you consider the awsome computing power that just lies around the office or home.......
I hope and anticipate you guys in uniform can expect some more innovation in the future. ;D

 

[George Wallace]

There was a demo done at Connaught Ranges during CFSAC 2008.  The whole unit can be attached to your webbing/Tacvest and is small as your GPS. 

 

[Staff Weenie]

Does the vehicle mounted system have the ability to interact with fire control and turret or RWS control such that it could, say at the push of a button after detecting a shot, automatically lay the weapon directly onto the exact projected point of origin?

I wonder what the Boffins squirreled away in the labs are working on next...

 

[CEEBEE501]

But isn't the Boomerang mobile shooter detection system already used for this or is this suppose to be for each individual soldier and more mobile.
For those wondering, this is the Boomerang: Company site http://bbn.com/boomerang
                                                              Wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boomerang_(mobile_shooter_detection_system)
                                                              And Future Weapons clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYgsGoAlb1s

 

[KevinB]

I thought I had explained that the sound systems are not working...

 

[Flip]

I thought I had explained that the sound systems are not working...

And I hope that is changed.

Electronic/computing products usually go through a teething process.
It can take years to get it right.  Products in this "phase" often appear to not work at all and in cases like this, be worse than useless. 

Reverberations and echos can be selectivly ignored. 

Like I said....I hope they get it fixed.

 

[Niteshade]

hmmm, maybe like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXMjh_XbkiI

notice the "Allah Akbar" got louder after he sees the guy get up ;D

cheers,
Frank

As an interesting side note (and someone correct me if I am wrong) - the man hit there is a medic. Him and his comrades engaged the sniper, got him (injured) and that same medic treated the sniper's wounds.
http://www.armytimes.com/legacy/new/1-292925-976420.php

As for the subject at hand: Cool toy... as previously mentioned: pity it only works once the shot is taken.

Nites

 

[Marshall]

Wow! this would be a great device if all works properly. Hopefully Canada can get their hands on this someday?

I am not in the military (yet), but I always imagined that a sniper would be a soldiers worst fear.. or at least it would be mine ha.. this could prove useful.

 

[KevinB]

Keep in mind there have been virtually no sniper instances in Afghan, and even in Iraq very few areas had sniper threats - North East Baghdad (Sadr City and surrounding), Mosul, Fallujah and Ramadi, but other than that, it was more hype that fact.

  Subsonic bullets, and suppressors can invalidate any technology, as has been seen. 

Urban sniping offers the sniper a great deal of natural barriers let alone the devious methods used.

 

[drunknsubmrnr]

But isn't the Boomerang mobile shooter detection system already used for this or is this suppose to be for each individual soldier and more mobile.
For those wondering, this is the Boomerang: Company site http://bbn.com/boomerang
                                                               Wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boomerang_(mobile_shooter_detection_system)
                                                               And Future Weapons clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYgsGoAlb1s

BBN is actually building them? That's surprising. It's normally a pure R&D shop.

How are they working out?

 

[Colin Parkinson]

Keep in mind there have been virtually no sniper instances in Afghan, and even in Iraq very few areas had sniper threats - North East Baghdad (Sadr City and surrounding), Mosul, Fallujah and Ramadi, but other than that, it was more hype that fact.

  Subsonic bullets, and suppressors can invalidate any technology, as has been seen. 

Urban sniping offers the sniper a great deal of natural barriers let alone the devious methods used.

I thought the Taliban employed snipers in that ambush of the French? Since this device employs sound, it can only give a line of bearing for the shot, however if it was networked to several and a GPS, it could triangulate.  it would also go squirrely during a firefight, leading to it being switched off at the wrong time I suspect.

 

[KevinB]

Colin, I have no reliable info about the French ambush. However given the general lack of reports on sniping from Afghanistan, I would tend to put it down to lack of ability to detect, and engage the enemy on the behalf of the French. No other countries seem to be reporting sniper engagements.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

Thanks, maybe they just employ really bad snipers and no one notices.... ;D