A High Speed Towed Magnetic Array for In-Road Detection of Improvised Explosive Devices Employing Optimized Magnetic Map Differencing

The documented success of UXO detection offers a technical basis of roadway IED detection. The technical and operational challenges of applying UXO technologies to the IED problem can be overcome by exploiting two aspects of the IED problem. First, the detection of munitions (projectiles, rockets, bombs, etc.) is well understood and readily accomplished with magnetometers through straightforward and well-established procedures. Second, the presence of roadside IEDs changes with time. It is this time-variation in magnetic conditions associated with IED emplacement that offers a unique aspect of the problem that can be exploited to facilitate IED detection, mitigate clutter false alarms, and support near-real-time implementation. Therefore, Sky Research proposes a process referred to as Magnetic Field Change Detection (MFCD) to address the roadway IED threat. Through the leveraging of existing Sky Research technologies and ongoing research and development work, the extensive experience and expertise in magnetics mapping for munitions detection, and through the execution of the proposed work, this technical approach has great potential to meet or exceed the performance requirements of the RFP. MFCD will facilitate IED detection in cluttered environments and has been shown to be effective in recent SKY tests using a low-altitude helicopter-deployed magnetometer array.The documented success of UXO detection offers a technical basis of roadway IED detection. The technical and operational challenges of applying UXO technologies to the IED problem can be overcome by exploiting two aspects of the IED problem. First, the detection of munitions (projectiles, rockets, bombs, etc.) is well understood and readily accomplished with magnetometers through straightforward and well-established procedures. Second, the presence of roadside IEDs changes with time. It is this time-variation in magnetic conditions associated with IED emplacement that offers a unique aspect of the problem that can be exploited to facilitate IED detection, mitigate clutter false alarms, and support near-real-time implementation. Therefore, Sky Research proposes a process referred to as Magnetic Field Change Detection (MFCD) to address the roadway IED threat. Through the leveraging of existing Sky Research technologies and ongoing research and development work, the extensive experience and expertise in magnetics mapping for munitions detection, and through the execution of the proposed work, this technical approach has great potential to meet or exceed the performance requirements of the RFP. MFCD will facilitate IED detection in cluttered environments and has been shown to be effective in recent SKY tests using a low-altitude helicopter-deployed magnetometer array.