New Army Radar Detects Suicide Bombers, Courteously Protects Their Privacy

Minyanville ^ | 7-14-11 | Justin Rohrlich

[bigbob]

Last week, the Department of Defense awarded a $48,200,000 firm-fixed-price cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to Science, Engineering and Technology Associates, a wholly-owned subsidiary of SAIC (SAI), which will provide US Army troops with, in a nutshell, suicide bomber detectors.

As described on SET's website, the "SET CounterBomber system integrates radar and video to yield the first-ever system capable of automatically detecting suicide bombers at safe distances."

It "employs visible or IR video cameras to automatically track subjects, and a low-power radar to interrogate them when cued by video."

Then, after "automatically assessing the threat in real time, CounterBomber supports the response team by wirelessly transmitting pictures or live video of the threat to a remote handheld device, such as a PDA."

However, what really sets the CounterBomber apart from "other suicide bomber detection sensors, such as MMW imaging, X-ray backscatter, and magnetometer devices" is that those types of machines -- the ones say, American Airlines passengers walk through each time they fly -- "often create privacy concerns."

Not to worry -- the CounterBomber won't subject body-conscious jihadis trying to kill themselves and everyone in a quarter-mile radius to the scrutiny of a soldier's prying eyes.

Last June, when the Army began testing the units (CounterBombers have actually been in use by the Air Force and Marine Corps since 2008) Seth Robbins of Stars and Stripes explained, "Unlike the new electromagnetic scanners being tested at airports, the system does not create an image of the person naked."

"The system allows soldiers to respect the privacy of Muslim men and women who are uncomfortable with pictures or being frisked by members of the opposite sex," Capt. Karl Gunther, 3rd Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment, told Robbins.

Great news for all the travelers out there -- sounds like your average terrorist has become far too prudish to handle the standard TSA checkpoint:

[bigbob]

We wouldn't want to offend any body-consious jihadists, now would we?

[American in Israel]

Political realities make this feature a real good idea, even if it sounds stupid from a practical standpoint.

I find it interesting that the TSA does not have this technology. Sometimes I think the TSA is about offending Americans and not about catching terrorists. Especially having traveled through EL Security checkpoints a few dozen times. The difference is night and day. El Al is about stopping terrorists, TSA is somewhere around keystone cops with political correctness and low wage earners with badges.

One suggestion, add an EMP pulse directional antenna, just to check the bombers wiring jobs at a safe distance. Sorta set the radar to BAKE for about a tenth of a second to really see whats under the t-shirt.

[JimmyMc]

Don’t worry about their private parts, blow them up 1st.

[Signalman]

Israel was on this back in 2004:

An Israeli firm has developed a laser device that can detect a suicide bomber’s explosives belt or chemical weapons from dozens of metres (yards) away, an executive said on Monday.

International Technologies Lasers Ltd (ITL), a publicly traded company that makes semi-military equipment such as night vision systems, began developing the laser spectroscopy solution three years ago.

“The device can detect anyone who is carrying explosives on his body, is wearing an explosives belt or has been working with explosives. They will all be contaminated with particles,” said ITL’s business director, Ami Rudich.

The company said its laboratory system has a near-perfect detection rate and that a prototype is six to eight months away.

The target market for the new device is the aviation industry and the company is currently negotiating a deal with two major US firms, Rudich said.

http://www.defencetalk.com/forums/space-defense-technology/suicide-bombers-not-threat-anymore-1471/

[Blood of Tyrants]

The constant attempt to not offend the people who want to murder every last infidel on the planet disgusts me.

[Steely Tom]

Defeating this system is going to be goal #1 of every terrorist organization in the world.

[B4Ranch]

Too Stupid for America = TSA

[Salgak]

I have a better way not to offend jihadis. Blow them to tiny bits. No jihadi blown to smithereens has EVER complained of being offended. It’s simple, straightforward, and it WORKS. . .