Raytheon BBN Technologies: Boomerang

Mark BellMatthew MayerEric Seminoff

Raytheon BBN Technologies: Boomerang1Problem SpaceSnipers have become the second greatest cause of fatalities in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan.Enemy fighters were shooting at convoys. The noise from the vehicles often resulted in our soldiers and marines being unaware they were under an attack until bullets hit them or their vehicles.Even if soldiers realize they are under attack, they usually have a hard time figuring out where the shots are coming from.2Tarmiyah, IraqHidden sniper stalking U.S. troops.

3Najaf, IraqPicture of an Iraqi Shiite militia sniper shooting at US troops from an empty building

4Problem Space cont.As a result of these continuous attacks and the casualties they were inflicting, U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld sought to develop a solution to this problem in Iraq and AfghanistanProposed requirements for this technology:Shooter localization to plus or minus 15 degree accuracy within one second of the shotThe ability to detect shots within a range of one to 30 metersAbility to detect and localize fire from AK-47s and other small arms at ranges from 50 to 150 metersReliable performance in urban environments with low buildingsOperable when mounted on a vehicle moving up to 60 MPH on various types of terrainAbility to withstand sand, pebbles, rain, and light foliage impactsAbility to deliver alert information in both a voice announcement and on an LED displayMicrophone array and electronics box must be able to be replaced in the field

5Solution: Boomerang

6Solution cont.Developed and manufactured by BBN technologies of Cambridge, MA (Raytheon) in 2003.Mounted to buildings, Humvees, Stryker armored vehicles and even hand-pulled carts. They are also mounted at checkpoints and on top of compound walls, hospitals and other military installations.The boomerang attaches on a mast to the rear of a vehicle and uses an array of seven small microphone sensors.Sensors detect and measure the muzzle blast and the supersonic shock wave from a bullet traveling through the air.Since bullets travel faster than the speed of sound, a shockwave is created from air particles being pushed aside.

7Solution cont.As the gun is fired and the bullets shockwave expands outward, a computer program records the different times at which the shockwave arrives at each microphone.Boomerang then uses sophisticated algorithms to compute:The direction the bullet is coming fromDistance above the groundRange to the shooterOnce this information is computed, users receive simultaneous visual and auditory information on the shooters location from an LED 12-hour clock image display panel as well as a speaker. The system then resets for subsequent shot detection.8Solution cont.Example of Boomerang III control

Mounts inside of vehicles

9Potential Problems / Analysis of Proposed Technology

10Cost$15,000 per system

Most of this goes towards the processing unit.

11FactsThe system is designed to detect rounds fired from almost any small arms weapon, The system has two variation with a third in development (Boomerang I, II, III respectively), The first system Boomerang I was first tested in Boomerang II was deployed in 2008 sending 1100 systems to US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.

12

System Accuracy

False shot detections are less than one per thousand hours of system operation at vehicle speeds under 50 miles per hour. Missed shots are less than one per 500 shots at vehicle speeds under 50 miles per hour.

13DataCombat tested, There are around 6000 boomerang systems in Iraq and Afghanistan, They are estimated to have saved more than 100 lives in the last few yearsInstallation takes 1 hourTraining only takes 30 minutes

14Advantages-Quickly detect and locate incoming small arms fire, -Alerts with both a visual and audible queue when being fired upon, -Is not triggered by return fire,-Can distinguish between gunshots and other ambient noises (i.e. fireworks, car backfiring) this is because it only detects supersonic noises and this rules out almost anything except gunfire-Can track multiple enemies at once-Combat tested and reliable

15DisadvantagesRight now it is only available to military and federal agenciesCost is quite high for local police departments to buy

16Acceptance / Pushback-The Boomerang system has received great acceptance from the end user

17Disruptive/sustaining

The Boomerang System is a disruptive technology and this is the reason for the cost of it being so high.

18Future VisionBoomerang Perimeter DefenseBoomerang Position and Heading SensorBoomerang Warrior19Boomerang Perimeter Defense

20Solution Description

Strategically placed sensor arrays, Boomerang Server and networking infrastructureScalable architectureFully networked for instant shooter location reportsShooter location information displayed locally and to other third-party systems

21SolutionCharacteristicsSimple operationNo calibrationReliable shooter detection and localizationNo false alertsFull 360-degree coverageHostile shooter localization in azimuth, range and elevation

Operates in any environmentEasy to maintainMinimal training required

22Boomerang Warrior

23FeaturesFull 360-degree coverage with no signal blockage from head, torso, knapsackOperates in all orientations (standing, leaning, or prone)Full motion compensationHostile shooter localization in: AzimuthRangeElevationWrist mounted visual display and earpiece audio alertReturn fire alert suppression

24PerformanceShot detection >95% False alerts