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Military Device Will Sense Through Concrete Walls

Juha-Matti Laurio writes "DefenseLINK News is reporting that 'troops conducting urban operations soon will have the capabilities of superheroes, being able to sense through 12 inches of concrete to determine if someone is inside a building.' By simply holding the portable, handheld device named a "Radar Scope" up to a wall, users will be able to detect movements as small as breathing. The Radar Scope hopes to eventually give troops the ability to see up to 50 feet beyond a concrete wall to decrease losses in urban combat."

7 of 325 comments (clear)

  1. Yeah but... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    how does it work? HOW?

  2. Sad by Deliveranc3 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    What this technology really does.

    This spells the end for revolutions, for insurgents, freedom fighters whatever you want to call them.

    This is the final nail in the coffin of home made firearms against your government.

    Oppressive governments rejoice!

  3. Possible problems by OpenSourced · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I would like to know if the testing environments included many animals in the buildings. In many places in this world, people keeps poultry and other livestock inside their homes. As they are so sensitive, will these devices be fooled by rats inside the building? Or even flies? This thing could give so many false positives in real use as to be almost useless.

    Seeing it from the point of view of a guerrilla fighter, now you would have an easy way of luring troops into your traps by simply putting a dog in the building. When the troops come, the booby trap explodes. Or better than a dog, use a man, seeing how low the own human life is regarded by some of the latests fighters-against-freedom groups.

    It's perhaps just me but I'm a bit tired of this way of presenting technology as the key that will solve the problems of the military in guerrilla environments. Organization, training and motivation are in my humble point of view, much more important. But you cannot show them off so easily in a presentation, I suppose.

    --
    Rome taught me patience and assiduous application to detail. Virtues which temper the boldness of great, general views.
  4. Re:Silly Americans Again by kfg · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The Americans always think there's some sort of magical technical solution to something they have always been extremely crap at - guerilla warfare.

    It is one of history's little ironies that later events have overclouded the fact that Benedict Arnold was one of the most brilliant leaders of guerilla warfare in history.

    The capturing of Fort Ticonderoga in order to procure its cannon and how those cannon subsequently made their way to Boston. The Battle of Beemis Hights (I spent last night in the home of Gen. Philip Schyler who deployed Benedict in that action). Coming, literally, within yards of conquering Canada for America (and would have done so but for the lack of a pair of walkie-talkies).

    Washington weren't half bad either. Why did he cross the Deleware (in secret, at night, in winter when such a move couldn't be expected)? To attack the endentured rear guard holding a barracks after the main army had marched out and then . . .run away! Run away!

    America once stood as the object model for how guerilla fighters in a third world country could stand up to and prevail over a superpower (with a wee bit of help from . . .France and Mssr. Lafayette), but it seems it has forgotten its own history.

    Not to mention its raison e'tre.

    KFG

  5. What about a little thing called Privacy? by Kyrokushen · · Score: 2, Interesting

    NO doubt this device will somehow be used against the USA one day. Criminals will be using this soon, you just wait. I am happy I live in Jamaica where we dont go to war with anyone but ourselves! I wonder if the regular cops are gonna start using it and if so do they need a warrant to use it?

  6. Re:Silly Americans Again by Forbman · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Try not to compare Rangers to SF. The Rangers are essentially crack infantry shock troops. They use Infantry tactics, and mostly Infantry equipment. The Army Special Forces are guerrila operators.

    Ranger School and SF Q Course are two different beings, from what I've been told by people who have done both. Ranger School is physically demanding. SF Q Course is primarily mentally demanding, with enough physical demands thrown in to amplify any mental deficiencies. Forgetting the team's SAW at an ambush point in Ranger School will just get you a 0 for that section (and a hell of a lot of verbal abuse, flutter kicks and pushups for your team). SF school, well, the instructor might ask, "hey, where's your SAW?" when your 10 K away from that last point, and leave it to you, Team Leader, to figure out what to do about it and still make your next objective...

    SF is designed to engage the locals to increase its force capabilities when needed.

  7. Re:Silly Americans Again by pipingguy · · Score: 2, Interesting


    America recently tends to throw huge amounts of people and money at problems and sort out the results later. There usually is nothing refined or subtle about it.

    They learned that in WW2 when they sent Shermans ("Tommycookers") against Panzers. Interviews with surviving Panther and Tiger crew members and commanders indicate that they couldn't beleive that a country as rich and powerful as America would field such bad tanks. ("You got 3? We'll make 20!")

    I guess the American military has the last say now.