US Army to Get New IED Detector Technology

Sandia National Laboratories' highly modified miniature synthetic aperture radar system is being transferred to the U.S. Army to support combat military personnel by uncovering improvised explosive devices. (Photo courtesy of Sandia National Laboratories)

04 August 2014 techbriefs.com

Detecting improvised explosive devices in Afghanistan requires constant, intensive monitoring using rugged equipment. When Sandia researchers first demonstrated a modified miniature synthetic aperture radar (MiniSAR) system to do just that, some experts didn't believe it. But those early doubts are long gone. Sandia's Copperhead — a highly modified MiniSAR system mounted on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) — has been uncovering IEDs in Afghanistan and Iraq since 2009. Now, according to senior manager Jim Hudgens, Sandia is transferring the technology to the U.S. Army to support combat military personnel.

The new technology was developed with the Defense Department's Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization (JIEDDO); the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center/Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL); the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR); Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory; the Naval Research Laboratory; and Florida-based force protection company AIRSCAN.

Read full article