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Listening for Danger Signals An SwRI-developed system helps warfighters detect and locate the distinctive radio signature of a fired weapon By Thomas C. Untermeyer Since the days of the slingshot and the arrow, military officials responsible for the safety of warfighters in the field have sought new ways to detect incoming weapons, and trace their origin, as soon as possible after their firing or launching. On the modern battlefield, systems based on optical, infrared (IR) and acoustic technologies have been developed to detect the firing of a variety of weapons. However, each of those technologies has limitations to its operational performance. Optical and IR detection methods do not work well during obscured environmental conditions such as fog, rain, clouds, smoke or dust. Acoustic systems, meanwhile, are hampered by limited range and relatively slow response time. D017148-1684 Thomas C. Untermeyer is a senior program manager in the Communications and Embedded Systems Department within SwRI’s Automation and Data Systems Division. He has extensive experience in systems engineering, program development and technical management. His expertise is in defining, designing and developing electronic products and systems. 10 Technology Today • Winter 2009
D017267 A high-speed camera catches the bullet as it exits the barrel of a handgun at right while test equipment captures the radio frequency (RF) signal emitted by the weapon’s discharge. Since the 1950s, the open literature has reported the possible generation of distinctive radio frequency (RF) emissions associated with the launching of a variety of weapons. Passive RF detection of weapon launches could provide a benefit over optical, IR and acoustic systems by providing fast detection through obscured environments over extended ranges. Consequently, in 2003 a team of engineers from Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) carried out an internally funded research program to investigate the generation of RF signals during the firing of small arms. Electrical engineers worked with ballistics engineers and technicians to equip SwRI’s enclosed range for small-arms ballistic testing with the necessary RF test equipment and high-speed video cameras to collect RF and video data during the firing of multiple pistols and rifles. The SwRI team then presented its findings to various government organizations to determine further interest. Based on these findings, the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command (USASMDC) established and funded the All Weather RF Launch Detection (AWRFLD) program starting in 2005 under the direction of a commercial client, which subsequently issued task orders to SwRI to develop and deploy sensors to measure RF emissions generated by firing small arms, rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) launchers, mortars, artillery and rockets. In the ensuing four years, the multidisciplinary makeup of SwRI allowed the engineering team to add expertise in chemical engineering, microwave engineering and microwave component fabrication. Chemical engineers used their laboratory equipment to analyze gun- powder and weapon propellants for use in model development. Microwave engineers designed custom circuits that allowed miniaturization and cost reduction of the passive RF sensor prototypes. The Institute’s unique microwave fabrication facilities allowed the custom assembly of microwave components using wire and ribbon bonding techniques. The project team has supported data collection trips to Redstone Arsenal, White Sands Missile Range, Fort Sill and Yuma Proving Ground. During these trips, the team designed the test setups, acquired the necessary sensors and test equipment, transported them to and from the military ranges, set up and operated the data collection system during military D017281 exercises and then documented its findings. Field test sensors developed by the AWRFLD team have demonstrated the feasibility of building a deployable passive RF sensing system to detect weapon launch events on the battlefield. RF sensor design The SwRI team began the AWRFLD program by investigating the RF signals generated during the firing of small arms at the SwRI ballistics facility in San Antonio to establish accurate test procedures and to better understand the associated RF phenomenology. The Institute’s high-speed video camera was able to pinpoint the timing of captured RF signals and verify they were caused by firing the weapon. RF signal data and video were collected from a variety of pistols and rifles such as the .357-caliber handgun and the Russian-made Kalazhnikov AK-47 rifle. Procedures and techniques developed during small-arms testing allowed SwRI engineers to move on to collecting RF data during the launch of larger ordnance. The team used a variety of standard and custom-designed sensors to An array of sensors of different sizes and configurations captures RF signals from a wide range of frequencies and caused by the firing of different sizes of weapons. Technology Today • Winter 2009 11
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