U.S. Military Deploys Gunfire Detection System

A new warfighting technology will soon be making its way to Afghanistan. U.S. Army forces will be getting gunshot detection systems, which can tell where a shot was fired from.

Approximately 13,000 gunshot detection systems will be given to individual footsoldiers later this month, according to the U.S. Army. The system, called Individual Gunshot Detector (IDG), is made by Reston, Va.-based QinetiQ North America.

IDG has four small acoustic sensors and a small display screen attached to the soldier's body armor that shows the distance and direction of incoming bullets. The sensors are each about the size of a deck of cards and can detect the supersonic sound waves generated by enemy gunfire. It alerts the soldier of the shot's direction in less than one second.

"We're really trying to ensure that every Soldier is protected," said Brigadier General Peter Fuller, program executive officer soldier, said in a statement. "When you get fired on, instead of trying to figure everything out, you will have technology to assist you in knowing what happened and where the shot was coming from."

One of the system's advantages, according to the Army and QinetiQ, is the fact it's very light, weighing less than two pounds. This allows the army to strategically disperse the systems throughout small, dismounted units and thus get maximum protection for platoons, squads and other units on the move.

Lt. Colonel Chris Schneider says the Army plans to field up to 1,500 gun detectors per month. The Army plans on integrating the gun detection system with its Land Warrior and Nett Warrior systems. These systems include a GPS digital-mapping-display technology, a radio, a helmet-mounted display and a hand-held data input device, allowing soldiers to have "unparalleled situational awareness." ...

via U.S. Military Deploys Gunfire Detection System - International Business Times.