Chemring wins ADF IED detection contract

Non-Intrusive Inspection Technology (NIITEK), a Chemring Group subsidiary, has been awarded a contract for production and supply of its Husky-mounted detection systems (HMDS) to support the Australian Army’s route clearance operations in Afghanistan.

Under the terms of the $6.9 million firm fixed price contract, NIITEK will manufacture and deliver ten HMDS, as well as spare parts.

The HMDS is a multi-panel high-performance system designed to detect surface laid and buried explosive threats, including improvised explosive devices (IEDs), unexploded ordnance (UXO) and weapons caches.

Equipped with four large panels of VISOR 2500 ground penetrating radar (GPR) and an optional metal detector, the ruggedised system is capable of detecting anti-vehicular landmines and other metallic and non-metallic explosive hazards on main supply routes (MSRs) and additional open areas, according to mission requirements.

Additional features include advanced real-time automatic target recognition (ATR) algorithms, remote visualisation (RVIS) systems, a computer and monitoring system, as well as a global positioning system (GPS), which provides the operator with 2D and 3D views of objects buried under the ground.

Since early 2008, the system has helped military personnel detect numerous pressure-plate IEDs prior to detonation in a wide range of road surfaces and soil conditions in Afghanistan.

Deliveries under the contract are scheduled to be complete by the end of November.

As previously noted in ADM’s Defence Week the Australian Army’s Diggerworks team has rolled out new blast gauges designed to provide assistance to treat soldiers injured from improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Afghanistan.

Originally developed by the DARPA, the gauges are capable of displaying a yellow, green or red light to suggest the pressure level of an IED blast.

A total of three blast gauges will be worn on the outside of helmet, the non-firing shoulder and chest to facilitate measurement of the blast wave from all directions in the battlefield.