Electronic umbrella to protect US troops.
Electronic «umbrella» to protect US troops
According to Aviation Week &: Space Technology, electronic devices called Shortstop have been sent to Bosnia to protect US troops from artillery and rockets. The device, manufactured by Whittaker (USA), detects the weak radio frequency signals of proximity fuses of incoming rockets and transmits false signals that cause the shells to explode at an altitude of several hundred meters in the atmosphere, which eliminates their impact on their intended targets.
Rockets with proximity radio fuses, which have become the most common weapon for destroying ground forces, use radio signals reflected from the ground to determine their own height above the ground. Their radio fuses fire at a height of about 10 m, causing the shell to explode with maximum shrapnel effect. If the Shortatop device signals cause the shell to explode at an altitude of 200-300 m, then most of the explosion energy is dissipated in the atmosphere and the shrapnel is scattered in a zone with a radius of up to 1.8 km around the intended target.
Shortatop has been tested by the US Army and is 100% effective. More than 5,000 single and salvo shots have been fired at the device. One device can protect a platoon's combat zone equivalent to one or two football fields.
The Shortstop device was developed to protect US troops during the fighting in the Persian Gulf. Under a short-term contract, Whittaker completed the entire process from concept development to serial production in 90 days. But by that time, the fighting in the area had ended, and the 36 Shortstop devices that had been manufactured were put into storage until they were needed again. In early 1996, several of these devices were sent to Bosnia for operator training and deployment. The exact number of devices sent to Bosnia has not been disclosed.
The rapid development and launch of the Shortstop device into production justified the adopted concept. However, the mass of the device (about 50 kg) was too large) and its dimensions could not be classified as miniature. It was also necessary to increase the mechanical strength of the device. As a result, a decision was made to develop a second-generation device. In 1994, an extended contract was concluded with Whittaker for the development of a field-friendly version of the device. The company plans to deliver nine pilot devices (three devices of each type) in November 1996.
The new man-portable device will weigh approximately 23 kg and will have a separate battery power supply capable of operating continuously for 8 hours. The second version of the device is designed to be mounted on vehicles, particularly Humvees and Bradley fighting vehicles. This version can protect armed columns of combat vehicles and troop units on the march. The third type is a stand-alone device mounted on a tripod.
The new device, designated AN/VLQ-10, will have an omnidirectional antenna and a wider frequency range to intercept signals from all known proximity fuses worldwide.
The first nine prototypes of the new device will be used to identify necessary engineering and manufacturing refinements, which should be completed by 1997 through operational testing and evaluation. This should lead to a decision on serial production in early FY98. and the adoption of the device into service in fiscal 1999. The US military plans to acquire 400-500 of the new devices. But this number will depend on budgetary allocations.