ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. (April 2, 2016) - Soldiers of Company C, 3rd Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division tested new technology being developed for the Boomerang sniper detector systems, April 2-7 at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland.
The new system does not have a name yet, but will contribute to the Boomerang sniper detector system developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and Raytheon.
"The purpose of this research is to test the effects of tactile stimulation on distance perception," said Timothy White, principal investigator and researcher with the U.S. Army Research Laboratory. "So, we are looking at how the tactile modality can be used to provide not only azimuth information about where a target is located, as in clock position, we are looking to see if it can be used to provide how far the target is."
"If you're being shot at and you don't know where the shots came from, then the system will tell you a direction and approximate distance through audio, visual and a belt that vibrates at the direction the shots were fired," said Spc. Joseph Mcaloon, an infantryman of Co. C.
The system would help Soldiers in a combat scenario by detecting sniper fire on dismounted troops, which is a situation these infantrymen have encountered during previous combat tours.
"My first deployment I was stationed at Forward Operating Base Julius, in Kunar Province, Afghanistan, 2010-2011," said Sgt. Robert Gasca, acting first sergeant of Co. C. "It would have helped because every time we took contact we couldn't always identify where the shots were coming from."
The system is being developed to implement the Boomerang on dismounted troops just as much as in the vehicles.
"I specifically wanted to examine infantry Soldiers," White explained about the light infantry troops testing. "I wanted to examine how it would work with ground Soldiers on the move."
Soldiers of 3-15 Inf. are conducting a training mission in Yavoriv, Ukraine and are part of the East Africa Response Force in Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti. Those chosen to participate in this research are part of the battalion's rear detachment and are using this opportunity to bring their organization and the Army into the future of tactical technology.
"We actually did pretty good trying out the new gear and it was so simple to use," said Spc. Lazarus Menchaca, infantryman of Co. C 3-15 Inf. Div. "It felt awesome, it feels like I'm helping the future of the Army."
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