A Quick Turnaround to Defend U.S. Helicopters in Afghanistan and IraqSeptember 02, 2010

 

CH-47

Insurgents in Afghanistan might have used shoulder-fired, heat-seeking missiles to shoot down an U.S. Army CH-47, according to classified reports made public by WikiLeaks.

But the biggest threat to U.S. helicopters in combat zones is small arms, says Zackary Lemnios, the Defense Departments director of defense research and engineering. The daily threat reports he studies underscore this reality, he noted at a breakfast gathering for writers specializing in defense issues.

Lemnios said that his department received several requests to help helicopters evade this deadly small-arms fire and in response his team has developed an experimental system that might help helicopters avoid danger as they descend, according to NextGov.com, a site that covers the intersection of technology and business in the U.S. government.

The system is based on the Boomerang sniper-detection devices already being used in Iraq and Afghanistan to help ground combat vehicles. The system uses 18 acoustic sensors on helicopters and software to detect rifle or machine-gun fire to find the source of the shots. The system does not, however, repel bullets. It alerts pilots to incoming fire and directs them away from the source, the article noted. Helicopters already have sensors that detect incoming missiles, but these are unable to pick up small arms’ shots.

Lemnios said that the rapid development of this system is an example of how his office is speeding up the design and implementation of technology that can help the current fight. Most weapons systems spend years in development and can take a decade or more to make it to combat. This system was turned around in about six months. This model fits Defense Secretary Robert Gates' imperative to create weapons that can help soldiers in current conflicts.

But the threat alert systems still have to undergo rigorous testing. When the department first received requests for help, Lemnios's team decided to modify the Boomerang system and arranged a test. Based on the success of the trials, they installed it on four Army H-60 Blackhawks which will undergo more combat environment testing in October, according to the NextGov.com article.

(U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Timothy Taylor)