MSTDS–Multimodal Soldier-Worn Threat Detection System

Small arms fire is still one of the greatest threats to military personnel on the ground in theater of operation. Existing acoustic body-worn gunfire detection units can provide some protection, but acoustic signals can be unreliable in highly echoic environments such as urban spaces. The single sensor modality systems currently deployed do not provide sufficiently reliable detection and localization of hostile fire for the full range of environments that warfighters are likely to experience. Given the challenges of localizing hostile fire in different environments, the concept of MSTDS is a dual mode system, using proven acoustic technology together with a new and innovative technology based on electric field sensing. This combination of technologies addresses many of the shortcomings of acoustic systems, including detecting subsonic rounds, adds an additional layer of false alarm rejection, and also provides improvement in accuracy in terms of round localization. The dual mode approach provides: very high false alarm rejection by looking at different components of a gunshot event, leveraging the strengths of each; enables better detection at longer distances by allowing lower thresholds for detection for the individual modalities; and gives more accurate estimates of range-to-shooter and estimates of weapon type.