DoD steps up its counter-IED effort
The US Department of Defense (DoD) is continuing its efforts to counter the ongoing improvised explosive device (IED) threat on current operations with the awarding of two IED detection contracts.
The first, awarded to Lattice Government Services on January 25, is for the development of countermeasures to detect and defeat IEDs for the United States Air Force.
According to a statement from Lattice, the company will ‘develop a software/hardware interface to fuse data from heterogeneous sensors and a detection engine’. A mixture of data will be combined for increased situational awareness in the development of IED countermeasures.
Raytheon was awarded the second contract for $51.5 million on January 26 by the US Army to produce a system to defeat IEDs. In a statement, the company said no further details would be made public for the contract.
The IED threat is a constant peril for troops in Iraq and Afghanistan; between October 2001 and January 2011, 65% of casualties in these regions were from IEDs, according to the Defense Manpower Data Center.
‘In addition, the Department of Homeland Security reports that more than 600 IED incidents occur each month outside of these regions, including within the US,’ said Lattice CEO Paul Burgess.
The DoD’s Joint IED Defeat Organization (JIEDDO) says IEDs provide the enemy with ‘inexpensive, stand-off, precision weapon systems that often provide the attacker with near total anonymity’.
Although the use of IEDs has declined in Iraq since 2007, according to JIEDDO, more than 23,000 out of the 35,418 hostile casualties caused during Operation Iraqi Freedom resulted from IED attacks from insurgents.
JIEDDO reports that in Afghanistan the use of IEDs has increased. While they tend to be more rudimentary than those used in Iraq, they are growing in sophistication and frequency as more insurgents share information and realise the potential impact of the weapon.
By Shephard staff
More from Land Warfare
-
![Lockheed Martin awarded $2.8 billion THAAD development contract]()
Lockheed Martin awarded $2.8 billion THAAD development contract
The contract amount for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) Weapon System will support its continued development over the next five years, with two options to extend for up to 10 years.
-
![Rheinmetall signs $3.2 billion framework agreement for platoon systems]()
Rheinmetall signs $3.2 billion framework agreement for platoon systems
As part of the agreement, Rheinmetall has received an initial contract for 92 platoon systems, consisting of 68 refurbished platoon systems and 24 new systems, worth approximately €417 million (US$432 million).
-
![Fourth European country opts for Euro PULS rocket artillery system as Germany signs up]()
Fourth European country opts for Euro PULS rocket artillery system as Germany signs up
When compared to the German Army’s M270 227mm (12 round) Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS), Euro PULS will offer a step change increase in capability to meet the German Army’s Future Long-Range Indirect Fire System.
-
![Germany takes first Boxer air defence vehicle and prepares for evaluation trials]()
Germany takes first Boxer air defence vehicle and prepares for evaluation trials
The Skyranger air defence system for Germany is built around the Boxer 8x8, a platform which is in service with, or ordered by, six countries.
-
![Oshkosh awarded $215 million in truck contracts]()
Oshkosh awarded $215 million in truck contracts
Oshkosh Defence has sold more than 2,000 Family of Medium Truck Vehicles (FMTV) A2 trucks and completed air drops of the M1093A2 (A2) FMTV trucks from Boeing C-17 heavy lift and Lockheed Martin C-130 tactical lift aircraft in 2024.
-
![UK and US militaries advance mobile directed energy weapon systems]()
UK and US militaries advance mobile directed energy weapon systems
Recent tests have demonstrated how the UK and US armed forces have been scaling DEWs for mobile field-based operations.
