Acoustic gunfire detection devices heading to the field
for a total of 30,000 units, Rogers said.
The fundamental technology used in SWATS is the same as vehicle-mounted systems used by Marines and soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan for years, Rogers said.
In 2007, the Army’s Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center ordered eight wearable systems to test as part of its Future Force Warrior program. That same year, Special Forces began deploying with vehicle-mounted devices, Rogers said. Several wearable SWATS were also field-tested and, by 2008, the Army began issuing them to the infantry. About 4,000 have been used in battle.
Among them is SLD 500, produced by CILAS, a French company. The device, ordered by Marine Corps Systems Command in mid-2009 for testing, shines a laser in the suspected direction of an enemy sniper. The device, which could be used in Afghanistan, detects refraction when that laser hits the glass surface of a scope or binoculars.
Singularity Hub notes that SWATS is just one device in a larger suite of tactical microphones from QinetiQ. The Ears gunshot localization systems include vehicle mounted versions as well. These are only slightly heavier and more energy demanding than their shoulder worn counterparts, but have more sophisticated displays and can track gunfire even when the vehicle is moving at speeds up to 80 km/hr (~50mph).
The U.S. military has been developing acoustic sensors like SWATS for many years. The Boomerang system from Raytheon has been in the field since 2005 and has won awards for its use. SWATS is smaller, lighter, and cheaper than many competing devices. There are enough different companies working on these types of sensors that we’re likely to see further improvements in acoustic targeting in the years ahead.
SH argues that we are likely to see many more such augmenting technologies. Acoustics are just the low-hanging fruit. There are laser systems which could detect reflections off sniper scopes to pinpoint enemy shooters more precisely. IR/thermal scanning devices are also available. All sensors could be tied in to heads up displays to give augmented reality targeting assistance to soldiers. As Singularity Hub discussed before, the human soldier of the future could be fitted with many such devices to turn them into super sensing, super accurate fighters.
Eventually all these sensors may be steps toward creating an artificial soldier. SWATS can tell a human where an incoming shot is coming from in less than a second, but it may take many more seconds for the human soldier to find its target and return fire. Machines can detect and retaliate much quicker. We already have automated turrets for anti-personnel and anti-missile purposes. If they are made mobile, and can be driven remotely the same way we pilot armed drones, and there are many operations that would no longer require human soldiers.
Until artificial soldiers come along, the United States and other countries will continue to rely on human soldiers. The militaries thus want to preserve as many of their soldier’s lives as possible. SH notes that to that end, the SWATS (and Ears) devices are a godsend to the United States. “Asymmetric warfare favors the forces that can strike and runaway unharmed. With plentiful acoustic sensors in the field it will be that much harder for snipers to ambush soldiers and live to escape. As thousands of these devices flow into Afghanistan it looks like the United States will have yet another decisive technological advantage.”