Anti-sniper warfare in Iraq

The technology the US military can deploy to the battlefield these days is truly amazing.

You may recall Arthur C. Clarke's adage, "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic". But even to us, who in this day and age are quite accustomed to advanced technology, some of the tools the US military has do seem like magic.

As one example, consider the newer anti-sniper systems the US military has been using in Iraq.

One system is called the Boomerang Mobile Shooter Detection System, which has been around since 2004.

(photo from Gizmag.com)

According to this article in Gizmag:

The Boomerang units attach to a vehicle and use seven small microphones, arranged like the spine of a sea urchin, to detect both the muzzle blast and the shock wave from a speeding bullet. Once a sniper's bullet is detected, Boomerang's display panel, which is located inside the vehicle, alerts soldiers through audio and visual signals that a bullet has been fired, its direction and elevation.

This article from Defense Industry Daily last week describes two newer systems.

WeaponWatch picks up on the infrared signature of every weapon the moment it is fired, instantly identifying it from a database of thousands of weapons muzzle flashes and relaying its position on screen. It has already proven itself in combat.

This Wired article points out WeaponWatch has already achieved results in Iraq.

For security reasons, Pentagon officials refuse to disclose which U.S. military units have used WeaponWatch and where.
...
The system was tested on top of a building where there was a high concentration of insurgent gunfire. Within a few days, American troops were able to use WeaponWatch to return fire more rapidly, Smith said, resulting in a noticeable drop in enemy attacks.

Finally, there is this technology.

Enter Elbit systems' subsidiary Ortek with SCS, a Sniper Coordination System that offers commanders unprecedented control and coordination of sniper (or counter-sniper) teams.

Utilizing a lightweight image splitter attached to the rifle sight, the SCS enables data and image transfer and communications with up to four sharpshooters simultaneously. The commander can see which target each sniper is aiming at, and convey orders to each sniper - silently if necessary. A built in messaging capability allows the commander to send a red or green light into the scope to signal the sniper, and send/receive SMS-like messages as well.

Vision on the battlefield is crucial. If you're a lone soldier with no knowledge of anything going on around you, and you have zero knowledge of the enemy or even of your own side, you are not effective beyond the range of your rifle. But, when commanders are able to see the battlefield and track in great detail the location of the enemy, an army becomes lethal. With the technology today, a known enemy is a dead enemy.

I wrote here about the all the myriad of skills that go into building up this kind of technology. We can be proud of what we have achieved. From electronic communications networks, to laws that protect property rights, to free societies that reward initiative and achievement, and on and on, the United States has created unmatched power through the countless hours of work and thinking by its citizens.

And what is it being used for? Not for oppression and subjugation, as the Loony Left would have you believe. No, all this power and technology is used to protect freedom. No military power has ever done more to use its capabilities to protect and promote freedom. Think about the enemies out there right now, plotting to kill and murder. Think of what's going on in France, think of the plot uncovered in Australia.

I've said it before, imagine what the world would be like if there were no United States. Would you want to live there?