Non-Lethal Munitions for Defeating Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs)

The US Army has the requirement for a vehicle-mounted and/or man-portable Low Frequency Currents Injected in the Ground (LFCIG) technology that can detect, image and reliably pre-detonate, or otherwise render unusable buried Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). This LFCIG technology has been successfully developed and tested during Phase II SBIR effort. During the subsequent Phase II effort GRA will augment this LFCIG technology with the buried IED detection and imaging capability from a safe standoff distance without collateral damage to Army personnel or critical equipment. GRA has uncovered, researched and successfully demonstrated one such IED detection and imaging technology, in its recently completed SBIR Phase I Add-On and Phase II research study. This employed Radio Frequency (RF) IED detection and imaging technology injects high power; low frequency radio waves into the ground to provide capability of IED detection and imaging from the analysis of the waveforms, re-transmitted by the buried IED wiring and other elements. During Phase I Add-On and Phase II SBIR research work GRA has fabricated and experimentally tested a unique, RF source with a unique dipole antenna capable of using HPM radiation for current injection. The reception and analysis of this radiation with a separate antenna network has